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FORT  AT  BOONESBORO. 

1.  Colonel  Henderson's  House. — 2.  Stockades. — 3.  Colonel 
Henderson's  Kitchen. — 4.  Mr.  Luttrel's  House. — 5.  His  Kitchen. 
— 9.  Fort  Gates. — 14.  Houses  built  for  Colonel  Hait  and  Colo- 
nel Williams. 

Those  places  not  numbered  were  cabins. 


SKETCHES 


OF 


HISTORY,    LIFE,    AM)   MANNERS, 


IN 


THE   WEST. 


BY    JAMES    HALL 


in  rwo  voli  mi>. 
VOL.  I. 


I'HII.  LDKLFHJ  A  : 
HARRISON    HALL,     SS,    WALNUT    STIt 

18:3.). 


Entered,  according  to  act  of  congress,  in  the  year  1835,  by 
Harbison  Hall,  Proprietor,  in  the  clerk's  office  of  the  District 
Co?nt,  for  the  eastern  district  of  Pennsylvania. 


VN 


RECSNTLY   PUBLISHED    AND   FOB  SALE 
JJ\     UAHKISO.N    HALL. 


I  ll  i:    AMERICAN    ORNITHOLOGY, 

With  Sevcntij-six  SpU  ndid  Coloured  Engravings. 
Bl     ALEXANDER  WILSON. 

WITH    A    LIFE    OF    TUK    AC  I'lluR —  I)V    tiEORGE   ORD. 

In  prepaiing  this  edition  for  the  press,  the  original 

text  of  Wilson  has  been  carefully  pi  d,  and  in  the 

notes  the  most  important  modern  improvements  in  cla9- 
!i  have  been  pointed  out;  the  errors  committed 
by  W  ilson,  for  want  of  specimens  and  books  of  reference, 
are  corrected,  and  additional  eyaonymes  given. 

The  birds  have  been  coloured  by  skilful  artists,  from 
the  beautiful  preparations  belonging  to  the  Philadelphia 
Museum,  or  from  recent  specimens  procured  for  the 
purpose;  and  it  may  afford  an  additional  claim  to  pub- 
lic favour,  to  say  it  has  been  principally  the  work  of 
females, 

The  plates,  70  in  number,  are  comprised  in  one  vo- 
lume, and  the  letter  pi  ess  in  three  volumes  royal  octavo, 
printed  on  a  very  superior  paper,  and  with  a  new  tvpe, 
made  expressly  for  this  purpose.      Price  lor  the  whole. 

The  first  edition  of  this  work  cost  upwards  of  one 
hundred  dollar*;  and  on  the  publication  of  the  fifth 
volume,  the  foilowftig  remarks  respecting  it  appeared 
in  the  Port  Folio,  at  that  time  conducted  by  Jos.  Den- 
nie,  Esq.  \ — 

11  Wherever  it  has  been  seen  in  Great  Britain,  it  has 
excited  the  highest  approbation  amongsl  the  most  com- 
petent judges,  mingled  with  surprise  that  a  production 
so   excju  kuc   from    the  American    press. 

These  ample   testimonials,  which  we  h,  ,  render 

us  the  more  desirous  of  making  the  work  generally 
known  amon«;  our  readers,  and  of  contributing  to  its 
universal  circulation. 

"So  faithful,  indeed,  are  the  delineations,  so  happy 
has  Mr.  Wilson  been  in  seizing  the  peculiarities  of  every 


2 

bird  in  his  collection,  that  not  only  the  colour,  the 
plumage,  and  the  figure,  but  the  physiognomy,  the  ges- 
tures, the  characteristic  movements,  and  positions,  are 
preserved  with  an  accuracy,  which,  at  a  glance,  renders 
us  familiar  with  its  character. 

"  These  traits  are  transmitted  with  equal  elegance  by 
the  engravers ;  and  the  paper,  the  type,  and  every  thing 
connected  with  the  impression,  reflect  the  highest  ho- 
nour on  those  concerned  in  it."     And  again, 

"  It  is  indeed  scarcely  possible  for  the  pencil  to 
exhibit  more  exquisite  representations,  more  faithful 
resemblances  of  character  and  physiognomy,  more  bril- 
liancy of  plumage,  than  are  contained  in  this  book.  Mr. 
Wilson's  descriptions  possess  their  usual  characteristics, 
clear  and  accurate  observation,  great  artlessness  of 
style,  and  a  warm  and  affectionate  mode  of  treating  the 
feathered  tribes,  which  is  equally  honourable  to  his 
taste  and  feeling." 

TALES  OF  THE  BORDER  :  By  James  Hall. 

The  name  of  the  author  will  be  a  passport  to  any 
book  that  bears  it ;  but  it  may  not  be  known  to  every 
body,  that  these  Border  Tales  are  among  the  most 
interesting  of  this  distinguished  author's  productions. 
It  will  delight  and  improve  all  who  read  it. — Poulson's 
American  Daily  Advertiser. 

After  the  perusal  of  the  "  New  Moon,"  or  "  The 
Pioneer,"  the  reader  has  more  to  remember,  and  to 
reflect  upon,  than  he  can  find  in  most  of  the  novels  of 
the  day.  There  is  one  characteristic  of  these  tales 
which  deserves  to  be  particularly  adverted  to — life, 
society,  the  passions  of  man,  and  the  works  of  nature, 
are  painted  with  faithfulness,  and  yet  there  is  no 
appeal  to  the  reader  for  his  sympathy  with  crime  or 
vice,  nothing  which  can  enlist  the  youthful  imagina- 
tion on  the  side  of  the  criminal  or  the  seducer. — Ibid. 

Also  for  sale,  all  the  Tales  of  Judge  Hall,  bound  to 
match,  in  four  volumes,  to  wit: 


LEGENDS  OF  THE  WEST. 
SOLDIER'S  BRIDE. 
HARPED  HEAD. 
BORDER  TALES. 

The  rapid  sale  of  t ho  first,  has  created  a  demand  for 
eood  edition  of  the  work  whose  title  heads  this 
article. 

The  "  Legends1'  comprise  twelve  articles,  one  of 
which  is  poetic.  The  Bcenea  of  these  tales  are  all  lo- 
cated in  the  '•  far,  far  West,'1  and  the  characters  are 
taken  from  the  aborigines  and  earlj  emigrants.  The 
difficulties  and  dangers  which  the  first  settlers  bad  to 
undergo, ere  they  were  i  stablished  in  security,  are  de- 
il  in  gIowing".colours,  and  with  a  master  hand. 

The  rude  and  Bavage  warfare  of  the  Indians,  the 
secret  ambuscade,  the  midnight  slaughter,  the  confla- 
gration of  the  log  hut  in  the  praiiic  and  forest,  the 
shriek-  of  consuming  women  and  children,  are  pre- 
sented to  our  minds  by  the  author  in  vivid  and  iin- 
wive  lai  Tie  se  fal<  t  possess  much  interest, 

as  they  are  founded  in  fact,  and  are  illustrative  of  the 
habits  of  the  Indian,  and  the  life  of  the  hunter.  As  a 
writer,  Judge  Hall  is  more   American   than  any  other 

we    p ss;  ..  ,  nes   are  American;    his   characters 

are  American,  and  his  language  is  American.  His 
person  igea  are  invested  with  an  individuality  which 
cannot  l>e  mistaken,  and  Ins  conceptions  and  illustra- 
tions are  drawn  from  the  great  Store-house  of  nature. — 
Diiily  Jnf(  Uigi  it'  <  r. 

We  have  just  risen  from  the  perusal  of  the  Soldier's 
Brid<-.  The  impression  it  leaves  upon  the  mind  is  like 
that  which  we  receive  from  the  Bight  of  a  landscape  of 
rural  beauty  and  repose — u  from  the  sound  of  rich  and 
i  melody.  Every  pari  r>f  tins  delightful  tale  is  re- 
dolent of  moral  and  natural  loveliness.  The  writer  be- 
longs  to  the  Mine  class  with  Irvtng  and  Paulding;  and 

as,  in  Ins  descriptions,  characters  and  incidents,  he  ni 

loses  sight  of  the  true  and  legitimate  purpose  of  fiction, 


the  elevation  of  the  taste  and  moral  character  of  his 
readers,  he  will  contribute  his  full  share  to  the  crea- 
tion of  sound  and  healthful  literature. —  United  States 
Gazette. 

The  approbation  every  where  elicited  by  Judge  Hall's 
Legends  of  the  West,  has  secured  a  favourable  reception 
for  the  present  volume  ;  and  its  varied  and  highly  spi- 
rited contents  of  thirteen  tales,  will  be  found  no  less 
meritorious  than  his  previous  labours, — National  Ga- 
zette. 

We  have  found  much  to  admire  in  the  perusal  of  this 
interesting  work.  It  abounds  in  correct  delineation  of 
character,  and  although  in  some  of  his  tales,  the  author's 
style  is  familiar,  yet  he  has  not  sacrificed  to  levity  the 
dignity  of  his  pen,  nor  tarnished  his  character  as  a  chaste 
and  classical  writer.  At  the  present  day,  when  the 
literary  world  is  flooded  with  fustian  and  insipidity,  and 
the  public  taste  attempted  to  be  viiiated  by  the  weak  and 
effeminate  productions  of  those  whose  minds  are  as  in- 
capable of  imagining  the  lofty  and  generous  feelings 
they  would  portray,  as  their  hearts  are  of  exercising 
them,  it  is  peculiarly  gratifying  to  receive  a  work,  from 
the  pages  of  which  the  eye  may  cater  with  satisfaction, 
and  the  mind  feast  with  avidity  and  benefit. — Pittsburg 
Mercury. 

MEMOIR  OF  THE  LIFE,  with  extracts  from  the 

writing?,  of  Mrs.  Sarah  Hall. 

The  Influence  of  the  Biele  in  improving  the 
Understanding  and  Moral  Character.  By  John 
Matthews,  D.  D.  President  of  the  Theological  Semi- 
nary, at  South  Hanover,  Indiana.  With  a  preliminary 
essay  by  the  Rev.  Albert  Barnes. 

If  proof  were  needed  of  the  power  of  the  Scriptures 
upon  the  mind  and  heart,  this  volume  contains  it,  beyond 
the  power  of  gainsaying  or  cavil.  But  the  history  of  the 
truly  great  in  intellect,  since  the  Christian  era,  affords 
overwhelming  evidence  of  the  fact.  Philosophers, 
poets,  and  statesmen,  have  drunk  from  this  fountain  of 
inspiration  ;  and  they  have  been  most  successful  whose 
draughts  have  been  the  deepest  and  most  frequent. 


PB  EFACE. 

It  has  not  been  the  object  of  the  writer  to  attempt 
t  regular  history  of  the  western  states,  or  any  con- 
lvct'il  <!'  BCriptioo  of  the  country,  or  its  institution.-. 
Tin-  materials  for   such  B  work   are  not   in  existence, 

in  any  available  form  ;  no  complete  collection  of  poli- 
tical or  statistical  facts,  or  scientific  observations,  ha> 
v  t  been  made,  from  which  a  work  could  be  compiled. 
Ignorant  and  presumptuous  travellers  have  published 
their  own  hasty  and  inaccurate  conclusions  ;  and  care- 
less writers  have  selected  from  these  such  supposed 
facts,  as  comported  with  tluir  own  theories  or  notions 
of  probability ;  and  we  hesitate  not  to  say,  that  the 
works  which  have  professed  to  treat  of  the  whole 
western  region,  have  been  failures. 

Particular  departments  of  this  great  subject  have 
been  well  treated.  A  few  of  the  early  residents  base 
published  their  reminiscences,  which  are  highly  in- 
teresting and  valuable,  as  evidences  of  the  facts  which 
occurred  within  the  observation  of  the  writers.  It  is 
to  be  regretted  that  so  little  attention  ha*  been  bestow- 
ed  upon  the  collection  and  preservation  of  these 
authentic  narratives  of  early  adventure 

1* 


b  PREFACE. 

The  travels  of  Pike,  Lewis  and  Clark,  and  Long, 
are  replete  with  valuable  facts,  carefully  collected,  and 
reported  with  scrupulous  fidelity ;  and  a  mass  of  in- 
formation may  be  found  scattered  through  the  reports 
of  officers,  employed  by  the  general  government  in 
making  surveys,  and  constructing  public  works. 

A  few  scientific  gentlemen  have  written  with  ability 
on  subjects  connected  with  the  general  history  of  this 
region.  Dr.  Drake's  admirable  description  of  the 
valley  of  the  Miami,  entitled  "  A  Picture  of  Cincin- 
nati," is  composed  in  the  calm  spirit  of  philosophical 
enquiry,  and  is  worthy  of  entire  confidence.  The 
contributions  of  Colonel  M'Kenny,  Governor  Cass, 
Mr.  Schoolcraft,  Mr.  Brackenridge,  Mr.  M'Clung, 
Mr.  Mann  Butler,  the  writer  of  Tanner's  Narrative, 
and  a  number  of  other  intelligent  individuals,  are  re- 
plete with  valuable  and  interesting  matter.  In  naming 
these  writers,  however,  we  design  no  disrespect  to- 
wards others  whose  names  are  omitted,  as  our  object 
is  not  to  attempt  to  give  a  complete  list  of  authorities, 
but  to  suggest  the  names  of  a  few  of  the  most  pro- 
minent. 

Of  the  compilations  from  these  and  other  authori- 
ties, the  statistics  embraced  in  Darby's  "  Views  of  the 
United  States,"  Tanner's  "  Guide  to  Emigrants,"  and 
the  recently  published  work  of  Mr.  Pitkin,  are  those 
which  may  be  most  safely  relied  upon. 


I'REF  M  ■)[. 


When  the  materials  Bhall  be  accumulated,  when  the 
loose  facts  and  »  I  remini  3,  which  are  now 

floating  along  the  Btreani  of  tradition,  Bhall  be  gather- 
ed together,  then  i  (ha  work  be  prepared  as 
will  be  creditable  to  our  country;  and  then  will  the 
pioneers,  the  warriors,  and  the  patriots  of  the  west, 
take  the  proud  station  which  they  deserve,  among  the 
illustrious  founders  of  the  American  republic.  In  the 
mean  while,  we  can  only  aim  at  presenting  to  the 
public  such  fragments  of  history  as  may  be  rescued 
from  oblivion  by  individuals  :  and  such  observations  a< 
the  few,  who  are  curious  in  collecting  the  statistics  of 
their  own  times,  may  have  been  able  to  accumulate. 

In  the  following  volumes,  therefore,  nothing  further 
is  attempted,  than  a  collection  of  tacts,  some  of  which 
are  the  result  of  the  writer's  own  observation,  and 
which  are  intended  rather  as  examples  and  illustrations 
of  topics  connected  with  the  western  states,  than  as  a 
regular  narrative  of  its  history.  They  are  not  pre- 
sented in  any  connected  series,  nor  with  any  embellish- 
ment of  style  :  but  are  placed  before  the  reader,  under 
the  most  unambitious  form,  consistent  with  convenience 
of  arrangement,  and  propriety  of  expression.  This 
is  not  said  to  disarm  criticism  :  an  author  has  no  right 
to  interpose  himself  between  the  critic  and  his  dutv. 
either  to  secure  his  clemency  or  resent  his  decision  ; 
but  simply  to  explain  to  the  reader  the  unpretending 
character  of  these  volumes,  in   order  thai  their  title 


8  PREFACE. 

may  not  awaken  expectations  which  they  are  not  cal- 
culated to  satisfy. 

Nor  is  the  matter  contained  in  this  work  presented 
now  to  the  reader  for  the  first  time.  It  has  no  claim 
to  originality,  but  is  properly  a  compilation.  During 
a  long  residence  in  the  west,  the  author  has,  from 
time  to  time,  employed  his  pen  in  the  discussion  of 
various  subjects  relating  to  this  region,  and  he  has 
now  done  little  more  than  to  collect  together  the  frag- 
ments, which  were  scattered  through  the  pages  of 
periodical  and  other  publications.  It  was  due  to 
himself  thus  to  identify  and  resume  his  property — the 
more  especially,  as  these  writings  have  been  freely 
used  by  a  number  of  compilers,  some  of  whom  were 
not  careful  to  acknowledge  the  debt,  while  others 
have  misunderstood,  or  perverted,  the  author's  mean- 
ing. 

In  addition  to  the  papers  thus  republished,  there 
will  however  be  found  some  facts,  which  are  now  laid 
before  the  public  for  the  first  time,  and  some  valuable 
documents  have  been  thrown  into  an  appendix.  The 
latter  are  not  specially  referred  to,  by  marginal  notes, 
as  the  attentive  reader  will  readily  trace  their  con- 
nection with  the  text. 

In  another  work,  now  in  preparation,  a  collection  of 
facts  of  more  recent  date  will  be  laid  before  the  pub- 
lic. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Introduction, 13 

PART  I. 

INTERCOURSE  OF  THE    AMERICAN  PEOPLE  WITH  THE    INDIA 

CHAP.  I. 

Subject  stated. — Practice  of  the  first  European  discoverers 
in  reference  to  savage  nations.  29 

CHAP.  II. 

Character  and  motives  of  the  early  discoverers. — Their  habit- 
ual cruelty  and  bad  faith  to  the  savages.  47 

CHAP.  III. 

First  settlements  in  North  America. — The  pilgrims. — Set- 
tlers of  Virginia.  54 

CHAP.  IV. 

Conduct  of  William  Pcnn  and  his  followers  towards  the  In- 
dians.— Amicable  intercourse  between  the  French  and  In- 
dians in  Illinois.  69 

CHAP.  V. 

System  of  intercourse  with  the  Indians  established  by  the 
British. — Giving  presents. — Agents. — System  adopted  by 
the  American  government. — Interference  by  English 
agents.  •" 


10  CONTENTS. 

CHAP.   VI.  PAGE 

Further  particulars  of  the  system  of  intercourse  of  our  go- 
vernment with  the  Indians. — Mischievous  influence  of  that 
system.  1"^ 


PART  II. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  FRENCH  SETTLEMENTS. 

CHAP.  I. 

First  explorers. — Discovery  of  the  Mississippi. — French  mis- 
sionaries.—La  Salle's  voyages.— Settlements  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi.— Manners  of  the  French  colonists. — Fort  Char- 
tres. 


134 


CHAP.  II. 

Founding  of  St.  Louis.— History  of  that  colony.— Transfer 
to  Spain.— Attack  by  the  Indians.— Intercourse  with  N. 
Orleans.— A  gallant  exploit.— Other  French  settlements.       165 

CHAP.  II. 

Settlements  on  the  Ohio.— Early  movements  in  Virginia.— 
Views  of  Gov.  Spotswood.— Settlement  of  Pittsburg  — 
Travels  of  Carver.— Expedition  of  Dunmore.  183 

CHAP.  III. 

War  of  1763.— Peace  of  1764.— Settlements  in  western  Vir- 
ginia.—Early  land  titles.— Value  of  land. — War  of  1774. 
— Lewis's  expedition. — Dunmore's  treaty. — Heroism  of 
Cornstalk. — Character  of  pen.  Lewis.  191 

CHAP.  IV. 

M'Intosh's  expedition.— Fort  Laurens.— Moravian  towns.— 
Destruction  of  the  Moravians.— Crawford's  Campaign.         206 

CHAP.  V. 

Manners  of  the  early  settlers  in  western  Virginia.— Mode  of 
emigration.— Habits  of  living.— Hunting.— Weddings*— 
Religion.  216 


CONTEM  ■-.  11 

PAGE 

PART  III. 

EVENTS  IN  THE   EARLY  HISTORY  OF  KENTUCKY. 

CHAP.  r. 
Early  discoveries  in  Kentucky. — Its  occupation   by  the   In- 
dians.— Anecdote  of  two  of  the  pioneer?. — John  Finley's 
visit. — Those  of  M'Bride,  Dr.  Walker,  Boone,  and  others.  233 

CHAP.  II. 

Purchases  from  the  Indians. — Treaty  of  Fort  Stanwi.v. — 
Treaty  of  Lochaber. — Purchases  by  individuals. — The 
Transylvania  company.  246 

CHAP.  III. 

A  proprietary  government  established. — First  meeting'  of  a 
convention  of  delegates. — Their  proceedings.  264 


INTRODUCTION. 


But  few  of  the  writers  who  have  treated  of  the 
western  country,  rank  above  mediocrity;  and  lit- 
tle of  all  that  has  been  written  on  this  subject  is 
interesting  or  true.  Books  we  have  had  in  abun- 
dance; travels,  gazetteers,  and  geographies  inun- 
date the  land ;  but  few  of  them  are  distinguished 
by  literary  merit  or  accurate  information.  Per- 
haps a  reason  for  this  is  to  be  found  in  the 
character  of  the  country.  The  subjects  of  inte- 
rest, in  a  land  which  has  long  been  inhabited  by 
a  civilised  people,  are  such  as  are  familiar  to  the 
student,  and,  in  traveling  through  such  a  region, 
he  treads  on  classic  ground  with  a  knowledge  of 
all  the  localities.  He  knows  the  points  of  attrac- 
tion, and,  having  reached  them,  is  learned  in  their 
history.  If  in  Italy,  he  hastens  to  Rome ;  if  in 
the  Mediterranean,  to  Naples,  Vesuvius,  and  the 
ruins  of  Carthage;  if  in  Greece,  to  Athens;  if 
in  Palestine,  to  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  Whether  in 
Europe  or  in  Asia,  he  finds,  at  every  step,  some 
object  to  awaken  classic  recollections,  and  expa- 
tiates on  a  field  already  la  mi  liar  to  his  imagina- 
tion.    In  collecting  information,  he  but  fills  an 

VOL.  I 2 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

outline  previously  sketched  out  in  the  seclusion 
of  his  closet,  and  the  design  itself  is  but  a  copy ; 
for  such  narratives  exhibit,  in  general,  the  same 
pictures,  coloured  by  different  hands — each  cor- 
recting the  faults,  and  improving  on  the  failures, 
of  the  other.  The  accomplished  writer,  in  short, 
who  treats  of  the  countries  to  which  we  have 
alluded,  must  be  familiar  with  their  history,  their 
antiquities,  their  arts,  their  literature,  their  every 
thing  which  has  been  open  to  the  observation  of 
the  hundreds  and  thousands  who  have  preceded 
him ;  and,  if  not  altogether  devoid  of  genius,  he 
cannot  fail  to  throw  some  new  light  upon  sub- 
jects, which,  however  hacknied,  are  always  inte- 
resting, and  to  which  every  day  brings  some 
change,  as  each  year  gives  moss  to  the  rock  and 
ivy  to  the  ruin. 

All  this  is  different  in  the  west.  The  traveller, 
who  launches  his  bark  upon  the  silver  wave  of 
the  Ohio,  leaves  behind  him  every  object  which 
has  been  consecrated  by  the  pen  of  genius.  He 
beholds  the  beauties  of  nature  in  rich  luxuriance, 
but  he  sees  no  work  of  art  which  has  existed  be- 
yond  the  memory  of  man,  except  a  few  faint  and 
shapeless  traces  of  a  former  race,  whose  name 
and  character  are  beyond  the  reach  even  of  con- 
jecture. Every  creation  of  human  skill  which 
he  beholds  is  the  work  of  his  cotemporaries.  Ail 
is  new.  The  fertile  soil  abounds  m  vegetation. 
The  forest  is  bright,  and  rich,  and  luxuriant,  as 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

it  came  from  the  hands  of  the  Creator.  The 
hundred  rivers,  that  bear  the  treasures  of  western 
industry  to  the  ocean,  present  grand  and  impos- 
ing spectacles  to  the  eye,  while  they  fill  the  mind 
with  visions  of  the  future  wealth  and  greatness 
of  the  lands  through  which  they  roll.  But  they 
are  nameless  to  the  poet  and  historian;  nei- 
ther song  nor  chivalry  has  consecrated  their 
shores. 

The  inhabitants  are  all  emigrants  from  other 
countries;  they  have  no  ruins,  no  traditions,  no- 
thing romantic  or  incredible,  with  which  to  regale 
the  traveller's  ear.  They  can  tell  of  their  own 
weary  pilgrimage  from  the  land  of  their  fathers 
— of  exploits  performed  with  the  rifle  and  the 
axe — of  solitary  days  and  fearful  nights  spent  in 
the  wilderness — of  sorrow,  and  sickness,  and  pri- 
vation, when  none  was  near  to  help  them — and 
of  competence  and  comfort,  gained  by  years  of 
toil  and  suffering;  but  they  have  no  traditions 
that  run  back  to  an  illustrious  antiquity. 

Scenes  and  objects  of  interest  occur  at  every 
step,  but  they  are  of  a  character  entirely  new. 
All  that  the  traveller  tells  must  be  learned  upon 
the  spot.  The  subjects  are  such  as  appeal  to  the 
judgment,  and  require  the  deliberate  exercise  of 
a  cool  and  discriminating  mind.  The  author 
has  not  now  to  examine  the  conflicting  or  con- 
forming opinions  of  others,  but  to  form  a  decision 
for  himself  upon  matters  which  have  not  pre- 


16  INTRODUCTION. 

viously  been  investigated.  He  must  describe  a 
new  country,  with  its  various  features  and  pro- 
ductions— a  new  people,  with  novel  laws,  habits, 
and  institutions.  He  is  not  now  in  Italy  or  France, 
surrounded  by  the  illustrious  dead,  and  scarcely 
less  illustrious  living,  where  the  canvass  glows, 
and  the  marble  speaks,  where  every  grove  shadows 
the  tomb  of  a  martyr,  a  hero,  or  a  poet ;  and 
where  every  scene  awakens  a  familiar  image  or 
a  poetic  thought.  A  vast  but  silent  scene  sur- 
rounds him.  No  object  speaks  to  his  classic  re- 
collections. The  face  of  the  country,  its  climate, 
productions,  and  industry,  must  be  described;  and, 
to  do  this,  he  must  dwell  long  and  examine  patient- 
ly. Books  he  will  find,  it  is  true,  but  they  are  the 
hasty  productions  of  incompetent  writers,  whose 
opinions  are  generally  wrong,  and  whose  observa- 
tions are  confined  to  a  few  subjects  of  minor  in- 
terest. 

To  acquire  an  adequate  knowledge  of  such  a 
country,  requires  extensive  personal  observation. 
It  is  necessary  to  examine  things  instead  of  books, 
to  travel  over  this  wide  region,  to  become  acquaint- 
ed with  the  people,  to  learn  their  history  from  tra- 
dition, and  to  become  informed  as  to  their  manners 
and  modes  of  thinking,  by  associating  with  them 
in  the  familiar  intercourse  of  business  and  domes- 
tic life,  There  is  no  other  mode  of  collecting 
facts  in  relation  to  a  country  whose  history  has 
never  been  written,  and  with  regard  to  which  no 


IN  i  K<<I>(  <   riON". 


accurate  printed  statistics,  embracing  tlie  whole 
region,  are  in  existence. 

\v\  the  country  affords  ample  materials.  In  the 
historical  department  a  wide  and  various  held  is 
opened.     The  history  of  the  western  country  lias 
never  been  barren  of   incident.      The  valley  of 
the  Mississippi  has  been  the  theatre  of  hardy  ex- 
ploit and  curious  adventure,  throughout  the  whole 
period  of   our  national  existence,  and  its  fertile 
plains  present  at  this  time  a  wide  field  of  specula- 
tion.    To  whatever  point  in  the  annals  of  this 
immense  region  we  turn,  we  find  them  fraught 
with  strange,  and  novel,  and  instructive  matter. 
If  we  trace  the  solitary  path  of  the  fearless  Boone  ; 
if  we  pursue  the  steps  of  Shelby,  of   Clarke,  of 
Logan,  and  of  Scott,  we  find  them  beset  with  dan- 
gers so  terrible,  adventures  so  wild,  and  achieve- 
ments so  wonderful,  as  to  startle  credulity,  and  we 
encounter    tastes,    and    habits,    and   sentiment*, 
peculiar  to  our  own  frontier.     In  the  disastrous 
campaigns  of  Harmar  and  St.  Clair,  and  the  bril- 
liant successes  of  Clarke  and  Wayne,  there  is  a 
sufficiency  of   those   vicissitudes  which  enliven 
the  narratives  of  military  daring,  while  a  host  of 
lesser  worthies  present  respectable  claims  to  our 
applause.      "Grim  visaed  war**  lias  so  recently 
u  smooth'd  his  wrinkled  front,"  in  this  vast  terri- 
tory, that  thousands  of  living  witnesses  remain  to 
show  their  scars  and  attest  its  dangers.     The  time 
is  within  memory  when  every  dwelling  was  a  for- 

2* 


IS  rxTBODUCTiors-. 

tress,  when  to  fight  -pro  arts  tt  fods° — for  our 
hearths  and  altars — was  not  merely  the  poet's 
figure,  but  the  literal  and  constant  business  of  a 
whole  people,  when  every  father  defended  his  own 
threshold,  and  even  mothers  imbrued  their  hands 
in  blood  to  protect  their  offspring. 

Few  of  these  events  will  live  on  the  disrnified 
we  of  national  history.     They  formed  no  part 
of  any  national  war.  either  for  independence  or 
tor  conquest :  they  neither  a  :ed  nor  retard- 

ed our  march  to  national  greatness  :  they  brought 
no  blot,  and  added  tut  little  tame,  to  the  federal 
tcheon.     They  .reserved  chiefly  in  tra- 

dition, and  will  form  a  rich  vein  of  romantic  ad- 
venture for  the  future  novelist  and  poet.  But. 
although  the  historian  of  our  common  republic 
may  not  record  them,  they  should  find  an  ho- 
nourable place  in  the  annals  of  the  respective 
stal  ;  They  belong  to  them  and  to  their  his- 
tor 

The  shores  of  the  Mississippi,  and  its  tributary 
streams.  present  to  the  world  a  singular  and  most 
enchanting  picture — one  which  future  ages  will 
contemplate  with  wonder  and  delight.  The  cele- 
with  which  the  soil  has  been  peopled,  and  the 
harmony  which  has  prevailed  in  the  erection  of 
governments,  have  no  parallel  in  history,  and 
seem  to  be  the  effect  of  magic,  rather  than  of 
human  asency.  Europe  was  at  one  time  overrun 
bv  numerous  hordes,  who.  rushin?  like  a  torrent 


INTKODrCTI 

from  the  north,  in  search  of  a  more  genial  clinv 
captured  or  expelled  the  effeminate  inhabitant I 

ind  planted  colonies  in  its  richest  pro- 
but  these  were  sar:  _ 
with  the  sword,  and  ruled  with  1  of  i: 

The  ••  arm  of  flesh"  was  risible  in  all  their  op- 
tion- ir  colo 

•il  was  peopled  with  an  exotic 
population:    but  here  the   parallel  The 

cou.  -    ined  }  in  held 

the  blood-stained  soil  produced  nothing  but  -  man 
and  steel,  the  soldier  and  his  sword." 

What  a  contrast  does  our  happy  countr 
sent  to  scenes  like  these  !     It  remained  for  v, 
exhibit  to  the  world  the  novel  spectac  :*o- 

ple  cominz  from  v  ring  in 

politics,  and  _  wn 

qui'  _ 

tions.  and  enacting"  laws,  with  v>dshed  or 

dissension.     >  as  there  an  experiment  of 

2Teater  moral  more  harmonious  or 

:i. 

Within  a  here  has  been  much 

cur  wakened  in  the  mine  -  .-encan 

people,  in  relation  to  the  recent  history  and  pre- 
sent state  of  their  count:  __  tor  in- 
dependence, so  brilliant  in  ierem 
important  in  its  :  :)2r  to  national 
pride  in  all  its  details,  long  :b*-d  the  sym- 
aes  and  occupied  the  thour  our  coun- 


20  INTRODUCTION. 

trymen.  From  that  period  they  drew  their 
brightest  recollections  ;  to  that  period  they  re- 
ferred for  all  their  examples  of  national  virtue. 
There  was  a  classic  purity  and  heroism  in  the 
achievements  of  our  gallant  ancestors  which  hal- 
lowed their  deeds — but  there  were  also  substan- 
tial comforts  and  privileges  secured  to  us  by  these 
disinterested  patriots,  which  called  forth  all  our 
gratitude,  and  in  some  measure  blunted  our  per- 
ceptions of  more  recent  and  cotemporary  events. 
With  the  recollections  of  Bunker's  Hill  and  Brandy- 
wine  before  him,  what  American  exulted  in  the 
trophies  of  an  Indian  war  ?  What  political  trans- 
action could  awaken  the  admiration  of  those  who 
had  witnessed  the  fearful  energies  which  gave 
existence  to  a  nation  ?  What  hero  or  statesman 
could  hope  to  win  the  applause  of  a  people  whose 
hearts  dwelt  with  reverence  upon  the  exalted 
standards  of  civil  and  military  greatness  exhibited 
in  the  founders  of  the  American  republic?  Those 
luminaries,  while  they  shed  an  unfading  lustre  on 
their  country,  cast  a  shadow  over  succeeding 
events  and  rising  men  ;  but  their  mantles  silently 
fell  upon  the  shoulders  of  their  successors,  who, 
with  unpretending  assiduity,  pursued  the  course 
which  was  to  consummate  the  glory  of  the 
nation. 

The  excitement  caused  by  those  splendid  na- 
tional events  has  passed  away,  and  they  are 
now  contemplated  with   calmness,   though   still 


■r 


lNTKoori  i lOW.  21 

w i 1 1 1  admiration.  Other  Incidents  have  occurred 
in  our  history,  sufficiently  striking  to  attract  atten- 
tion. Of  these  the  settlement  and  growth  of  the 
country  lying  west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains, 
are  among  the  most  important,  and  those  which, 
perhaps,  are  destined  to  affect,  more  materially 
than  any  other,  the  national  character,  institu- 
tions, and  prosperity. 

But  a  few  years  hare  elapsed  since  the  fertile 
regions  watered  by  the  beautiful  Ohio  began  to 
allure  the  footsteps  of  our  countrymen  across  the 
Alleghany  mountains.  Covered  with  boundless 
and  protected  by  Alpine  barriers,  terrific 
to  the  eye.  and  almost  Inaccessible  to  the  most 
adventurous  loot,  this  lovely  country  remained 
not  only  uninhabited,  but  wholly  unexplored, 
until  Boone  and  his  associates  resolved  to  subdue 
and  people  it.  The  dangers  and  inquietude  of  a 
border  life  presented  no  obstacles  to  the  adven- 
turous spirit  of  the  first  settlers  ;  nor  were  such 
hardships  altogether  new  to  those  who  thus  vo- 
luntarily sought  them.  They  were  generally 
men  inured  to  danger,  or  whose  immediate  pre- 
decessors had  been,  what  they  themselves  now 
became,  warriors  and  hunters. 

The  revolutionary  war.  which  had  just  termi- 
nated with  infinite  glory  to  the  American  arms, 
had  infused  a  military  spirit  into  the  whole  nation, 
besides  affording  to  all  whose  bosoms  glowed  with 
the  love  of  liberty,  or  .-welled  with  the  aspirations 


22  INTRODUCTION. 

of  ambition,  opportunities  of  acting  a  part,  how- 
ever trivial,  in  the  bloody  but  interesting  drama. 
With  the  return  of  peace,  when  our  citizens  re- 
sumed their  domestic  avocations,  cheerfully  aban- 
doning the  arms  they  had  reluctantly  assumed, 
the  inhabitants  of  the  western  frontiers  alone 
formed  an  exception  to  the  general  tranquillity. 
Here  the  tomahawk  was  still  bathed  in  gore  :  the 
husbandman  reaped  his  harvest  in  the  garb  of  the 
soldier,  and  often  forsook  his  plough  to  mingle  in 
the  tumult  of  the  battle,  or  enjoy  the  dangerous 
vicissitudes  of  the  chase. 

Of  these  hardy  woodsmen,  or  their  immediate 
descendants,  was  composed  that  gallant  band  of 
pioneers,  who  first  peopled  the  shores  of  the  Ohio, 
men  whose  infant  slumbers  had  been  lulled  by  the 
midnight  howl  of  the  panther,  and  to  whose  ears 
the  war-whoop  of  the  Indian  was  as  familiar  as 
the  baying  of  the  faithful  watch-dog.  To  such 
men  home  has  no  indissoluble  tie,  if  that  word  be 
employed  in  its  usual  sense,  as  referring  to  local 
attachments,  or  implying  any  of  those  associa- 
tions by  which  the  heart  is  bound  to  a  spot  en- 
deared by  fond  recollections.  The  dwelling-place 
of  the  woodsman  is  a  frail  cabin,  erected  for  tem- 
porary shelter,  and  abandoned  upon  the  lightest 
cause.  His  home  is  in  the  bosom  of  his  family, 
who  follow  his  erratic  footsteps,  as  careless  of 
danger,  and  as  patient  under  privation,  as  him- 
self. 


INT.TODICTIOX.  28 

With  these  men  were  mingled  B  few  others. 
whose  character  ranked  higher  in  the  scale  of 
civilisation,  and  who  gave  a  tone  to  the  manners 
of  the  new  settlements,  while  they  furnished  the 
people  with  leaders  in  their  military,  as  well  as 
their  civil  afiairs.  Several  revolutionary  officers 
of  gallanl  name — many  promising  young  men, 
seeking,  with  the  eagerness  of  youthful  ambition, 
for  scenes  of  enterprise  more  active  than  the  quiet 
prosperity  of  their  own  homes  afforded — and  sub- 
stantial farmers  from  the  vicinity  of  the  frontiers, 
who  to  the  hardihood  and  experience  of  the 
woodsman,  added  the  industry  and  thrift  of  rural 
pursuits — such  were  the  men  who  laid  low  the 
forest,  expelled  the  ferocious  Indian  and  the  prowl- 
ing beast  of  prey,  and  possessed  themselves  of  a 
country  of  vast  extent  and  boundless  fertility. 

They  came  in  a  manner  peculiar  to  themselves; 
like  men  fond  of  danger,  and  fearless  of  conse- 
quences.  Instead  of  settling  in  the  vicinity  of 
each  other,  insuring  to  themselves  society  and  pro- 
tection by  presenting  the  front  of  a  solid  phalanx 
to  the  foe,  they  dispersed  themselves  over  the 
whole  land  in  small  companies,  selecting  the  most 
fertile  spots  without  reference  to  the  locality  of 
others.  The  tide  of  emigration,  as  it  is  often 
called,  came  not  like  the  swelling  billows  of  the 
ocean,  overwhelming  all  the  land  with  one  vast 
torrent,  but  like  the  gradual  overflowing  of  a 
great  river,  whose  waters  at  first  escape  the  eene- 


24  INTRODUCTION. 

ral  mass  in  small  streams,  which  breaking  over 
the  banks,  glide  through  the  neighbouring  coun- 
try by  numberless  little  channels,  and  forming 
diminutive  pools,  swell  and  unite,  until  the  whole 
surface  is  inundated.  So  came  the  pioneers.  De- 
pending more  upon  their  valour  than  their  num- 
bers, these  little  communities  maintained  them- 
selves in  the  wilderness,  where  the  Indian  still 
claimed  dominion,  and  the  wolf  lurked  in  every 
thicket.  Between  the  settlements  were  extensive 
tracts,  as  desert,  as  blooming,  and  as  wild,  as 
hunter  could  wish,  or  poet  could  imagine. 

So  long  as  the  frontier  was  subject  to  the 
hostile  irruptions  of  the  Indians,  the  first  care  of 
every  little  colony  was  to  provide  for  its  defence. 
This  was,  in  general,  effected  by  the  erection  of  a 
rude  fortress,  constructed  of  such  materials  as  the 
forest  afforded,  and  in  whose  design  no  art  was 
displayed,  beyond  that  which  the  native  ingenuity 
of  the  forester  supplied.  A  block-house  was 
built  of  logs,  surrounded  by  a  palisade,  or  picket- 
work,  composed  of  long  stakes  driven  into  the 
ground,  forming  an  inclosure  sufficiently  large  to 
contain  the  people  of  the  settlement,  and  affording 
a  sufficient  protection  against  the  sudden  irrup- 
tions of  savage  warfare.  This  was  a  temporary 
refuge  for  all  in  time  of  danger  ;  but  it  was  also 
the  permanent  residence  of  a  single  family,  usually 
that  of  the  man  whose  superior  skill,  courage,  or 
opulence,  constituted  him,  for  the  time  being,  a 


in  i  K"i.i  .  nozr. 

sort  of  chieftain  in  tins  Utile  tribe.  For.  as  in  all 
societies  there  are  master  spirits  who  acquire  an 

iutlui-iii'c  over  their  fellow  men,  there  was  always 

in  a  frontier  settlement,  some  individual  who  led 
the  rest  lo  battle,  and  who.  by  Ins  address  or  wis- 
dom in  other  matters,  came  into  quiet  possession 

of  many  of  the  duties  and  powers  of  a  civil  ma- 
eristrate.  There  remain  traditions  of  able  strata- 
gem,  and  daring  self-devotion,  on  the  part  of  such 
men,  which  may  be  proudly  compared  with  the 
best  exploits  of  Rome  or  Greece.  When  one  of 
these  primitive  fortifications  formed  the  rallying 
point  oi  a  numerous  population,  or  was  placed  at 
an  important  point,  it  was  called  a  "fort :'"  but  in 
other  cases  they  were  known  by  the  less  dignified 
title  of  "  station.""  Of  the  latter,  there  were  many 
which  afforded  protection  only  to  single  families, 
who  had  boldly  disconnected  themselves  from 
society,  either  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  pos- 
session, by  occupancy,  of  choice  tracts  of  land 

_.iin  a  scanty  emolument  by  supplying  the 
wants  of  the  chance  travellers  who  occasionally 
penetrated  into  these  wilds,  and  who  accomplished 
their  journeys  to  the  most  distant  settlements,  as 
a  general  penetrates  to  the  capital  of  an  enemy, 
by  advancing  from  post  to  post. 

Such  was  the  general  character  of  the  first 
settlers  who  followed  the  adventurous  footsteps  of 
Boone;  and  whose  exploits  were  not  confined  to 
the  forests  of  Kentucky.     From  the  shores  of  the 

VOL.     I 8 


26  INTRODUCTION. 

Ohio,  the  hardy  pioneers  moved  forward  to  those 
of  the  Wabash,  and  from  the  Wabash  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi, subduing  the  whole  country,  and  pre- 
serving in  Ohio.  Illinois,  and  Missouri,  the  same 
bold  outlines  of  character  which  they  first  ex- 
hibited in  Kentucky. 

If  we  trace  the  history  of  this  country  still 
further  back  into  the  remote  periods  of  its  dis- 
covery and  earliest  occupation  of  European  ad- 
venturers, a  fund  of  interesting  though  somewhat 
unconnected  information  is  presented.  We  are 
favourably  impressed  with  its  features  and  cha- 
racter, by  the  manner  in  which  the  first  travellers 
invariably  speak  of  its  fertility  and  beauty.  The 
Spaniards,  who  discovered  the  southern  coast, 
called  it  Florida,  or  the  land  of  flowers  ;  the 
French,  who  first  navigated  the  Ohio,  named  it 
the  Beautiful  river,  and  La  Salle,  when  he  beheld 
the  shores  of  the  Illinois,  pronounced  them  a  ter- 
restrial paradise.  The  imaginations  of  those  ad- 
venturous spirits  warmed  into  a  poetic  fire,  as  they 
roamed  over  the  extensive  plains  of  the  west,  re- 
posed in  its  delightful  groves,  or  glided  with  hourly 
increasing  wonder  along  those  liquid  highways, 
which  have  since  become  the  channels  of  com- 
merce as  mighty  in  its  extent  as  it  has  been  rapid 
in  its  growth. 

The  French  were  the  first  allies  and  earliest 
friends  of  our  nation  :  and  of  all  the  emigrants 
from  foreign  countries,  they  most  cheerfully  sub- 


INTRODUCTION.  27 

mil  to  our  laws,  and  most  readily  adopt  our 
manners  and  language.  They  engraft  them- 
selves on  our  stock,  and  take  a  deep  root  in  our 
affections.  It  is  more  than  a  century  since  a 
colony  of  that  nation  sell  led  at  Kaskaskia.  a 
thousand  miles  from  the  ocean,  a  thousand 
miles  from  any  community  of  civilised  men. 
Here  they  flourished  for  many  years,  increasing 
in  wealth  and  population,  cultivating  the  most 
amicable  relations  with  the  Indian  tribes,  and 
enjoying  a  more  than  ordinary  portion  of  health, 
prosperity,  and  peace.  Living  so  long  in  a  situa- 
tion thus  insulated,  and  having  but  little  com- 
merce with  the  civilised  world,  they  imbibed 
many  peculiar  customs  and  traits  of  character, 
to  which  their  descendants  still  adhere  with  sin- 
gular tenacity.  They  preserved  the  gaiety,  the 
content,  the  hospitality  of  their  nation — but  their 
houses,  their  language,  their  agriculture,  their 
trade,  and  their  amusements,  are  all  singularly 
impressed  with  characteristic  marks  of  their 
estranged  position,  and  point  them  out  as  a  pecu- 
liar people.  As  they  were  not  a  literary  race, 
tlxy  have  left  few  records  behind  them,  but  many 
valuable  traditions,  fraught  with  curious  matter, 
are  extant  among  their  descendants,  which  ought 
to  be  preserved. 

The  Indians  still  linger  on  our  borders,  and 
sometimes  pass  through  the  settled  parts  of  our 
country,  the  squalid  and  miserable  remains  of  a 


28  INTRODUCTION. 

once  warlike  population.  Can  it  be  that  they 
have  not  degenerated  ?  Is  it  possible  that  these 
wretched  beings  exhibit  fair  specimens  of  savage 
men  ?  If  they  have  indeed  fallen  from  a  better 
estate,  it  should  be  our  task  to  rescue  from  obli- 
vion the  memory  of  their  former  virtues.  Our 
immediate  predecessors  saw  them  in  their  untam- 
ed state,  in  the  vigour  of  their  power,  and  the 
pride  of  their  independence.  Many  of  these  have 
left  behind  them  testimonials  of  what  they  saw, 
and  a  few,  who  properly  belong  to  a  departed 
generation,  yet  linger  on  the  confines  of  existence, 
as  if  destined  to  instruct  the  present  generation 
by  their  knowledge  of  the  past. 

Passing  down  to  periods  still  more  remote,  a 
boundless  field  of  enquiry  is  presented  to  our 
attention.  The  inexhaustible  fertility  of  the  soil, 
the  salubrity  of  the  climate,  and  the  various  and 
amazing  resources  of  our  country,  evince  its 
capacity  to  support  a  dense  population.  Such  a 
country  was  not  made  in  vain,  nor  can  it  be 
believed  that  it  was  intended  by  a  wise  Creator 
as  the  residence  of  savages  and  beasts  of  prey. 
That  it  once  sustained  a  numerous  population, 
may  be  inferred  from  indications  which  admit  of 
little  doubt ;  that  the  character  of  that  population 
was  superior  to  that  of  the  present  race  of  Indians, 
has  been  suspected  upon  evidence,  which,  though 
far  from  being  conclusive,  is  worthy  of  great  con- 
sideration. 


PART   I. 


INTERCOURSE   OF  THE   AMERICAN    PEOPLE   WITH   THE 
[NDIAK8. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Subject  stated — Practice  of  the  first  European  discoverers,  in 
reference  to  savage  nations. 

The  relations  of  our  government  with  the  Indian 
tribes  is  a  subject  which  is  daily  increasing  in  import- 
ance ;  and  reflecting  men  cannot  but  perceive  th< 
ruinous  tendency  of  the  policy  now  pursued,  and  the 
absolute  necessity  of  a  speedy  and  radical  change. 
The  existence,  within  our  territorial  limits,  of  tribes 
acknowledged  to  be  independent,  involves  in  itself  a 
paradox  ;  while  the  details  of  our  negotiations  with 
them,  and  of  our  legislation  with  respect  to  them,  are 
full  of  the  strangest  contradictions.  We  acknowledge 
them  to  be  sovereign  nations,  yet  we  forbid  them 
from  making  war  upon  each  other ;  we  admit  their 
purely  allodial  title  to  their  lands,  their  unlimited 
power  ovei  them  while  they  remain  theirs,  and  their 
full  possession  of  the  rights  of  self-government  within 
them. — vet  we  restrain  them  from  selling  those  landf 
iiv  hut  ourselves;  we  treat  with  them  as  with  free 


30  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

states,  yet  we  plant  our  agents,  and  our  military  posts 
among  them,  and  make  laws  which  operate  within 
their  territory.  In  our  numerous  treaties  with  them, 
we  acknowledge  them  to  be  free,  both  as  nations  and 
as  individuals,  yet  we  claim  the  power  to  punish  in 
our  courts,  and  by  our  laws,  aggressions  committed 
within  their  boundaries,  denying  to  them  even  a  con- 
current jurisdiction,  and  forbidding  them  from  adjudi- 
cating in  their  tribunals,  upon  the  rights  of  our 
citizens,  and  from  vindicating  the  privileges  of  their 
own.  We  make  distinctions,  not  merely  in  effect,  but 
in  terms,  between  the  white  man  and  the  Indian,  of 
the  most  degrading  character ;  and  at  ■  the  moment 
when  our  commissioners  are  negotiating  with  their 
chiefs  solemn  leagues,  involving  the  most  important 
interests,  pledging  to  them  the  faith  of  our  govern- 
ment, and  accepting  from  them  similar  pledges,  we 
reject  those  same  chiefs  if  offered  as  witnesses  in  our 
courts,  as  persons  destitute  of  truth — as  creatures  too 
ignorant  to  understand,  or  too  degraded  to  practise, 
the  ordinary  rules  of  rectitude. 

This  simple  exposition,  of  a  few  of  the  leading  fea- 
tures of  our  intercourse  with  the  Indians,  must  satisfy 
every  rational  mind  that  so  unnatural  a  state  of  things 
cannot  be  lasting ;  that  any  set  of  relations  founded 
upon  such  principles  must  be  unjust,  unprofitable,  and 
temporary ;  and  that,  although  in  the  infancy  of  our 
government  it  might  have  been  excusable  in  us  to 
adopt  such  a  policy  towards  our  savage  neighbours  as 
their  barbarities,  or  our  weakness,  might  have  forced 
upon  us,  it  becomes  us  now  as  a  great  and  enlightened 
people,  to  devise  a  system  more  consistent  with  our 


\ 


-KKT(  BM   OF  Till'    WEST.  31 

national  dignity,  and   bettor  adapted  to  advance  the 
interests  of  the  reepectife  parties. 

To  persons  loading  in  the  Atlantic  itates,  this  sub- 
ject will  probably  present  itself  entirely  in  a  spceula- 
tive  point  of  view  ;  while  the  inhabitants  of  the  front  i<  t. 
whose  interest-  are  more  directly  concerned,  may 
consider  it  in  ■  more  practical  light,  as  involving 
questions  of  expediency,  rather  than  of  principle. 
We  would  wish  to  avoid  both  these  extremes,  and  to 
take  such  a  view  of  the  subject  as  shall  be  both  prac- 
tical and  just  ;  and  while  we  look  at  the  Indians  as 
rational  beings,  and  their  tribes  as  social  communities, 
having  inherent  and  indefeasible  rights,  to  consult  also 
the  character,  dignity,  and  advantage,  of  our  own  peo- 
ple and  government. 

We  do  not  assume  to  have  made  any  new  discovery, 
when  we  assert,  that  there  are  more  popular  errors  in 
existence,  in  respect  to  the  Indians,  than  in  regard  to 
almost  any  other  matter  which  has  been  so  much  and 
so  frequently  discussed.  These  have  arisen  partly 
out  of  national  antipathies,  partly  out  of  the  misrepre- 
sentations of  interested  persons,  and  partly  out  of  the 
nature  of  the  subject,  which  is  intricate  in  itself,  and 
delicate  in  many  of  its  bearings.  The  usual  mode  of 
disposing  of  the  question,  or  rather  of  getting  rid  of  it, 
1)\  a— citing  that  the  Indians  are  savages,  not  capable 
of  civilisation,  not  to  be  trusted,  nor  to  be  dealt  with 
as  rational  beings,  is  unchristian  and  unphilosophical. 
We  cannot  assent  to  such  a  conclusion  without  dis- 
carding the  light  of  revelation,  the  philosophy  of  the 
human  mind,  and  the  results  of  a  vast  deal  of  experi- 
mental  knowledge.     The   activity  of  body  and   mind 


\ 


32 


SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 


displayed  by  the  Indian  in  all  his  enterprises  ;  the 
propriety  and  closeness  of  reasoning  in  most  of  their 
speeches,  and  the  sublimity  and  pathos  of  many  of 
them,  sufficiently  establish  the  claims  of  this  race  to  a 
respectable,  if  not  to  an  exalted  station  in  point  of  intel- 
lect ;  and  we  have  no  reason  to  believe  that  they  have 
worse  hearts,  more  violent  passions,  or  more  obstinate 
prejudices,  than  any  of  the  rest  of  the  human  family. 

Why  is  it  then,  that  they  are  savages  1  Why  have 
they  not  ascended  in  the  great  scale  of  civil  subordi- 
nation? Why  are  they  ferocious,  ignorant  and  brutal, 
while  we,  their  neighbours,  are  civilised  and  polished  ? 
Why  is  it  that,  while  our  intercourse  with  every 
other  people  is  humane,  enlightened,  just — having  its 
foundations  fastened  upon  the  broad  basis  of  recipro- 
city, we  shrink  with  horror  from  the  Indian,  we  spurn 
him  from  our  fire-sides  and  altars — the  very  ermine 
of  our  judges  is  tarnished  by  his  approach.  Why  is 
it,  that  while  the  whole  world  seems  united,  as  it 
were,  in  one  great  and  concentrated  effort,  to  spread 
the  light  of  knowledge,  to  burst  the  shackles  of  super- 
stition, to  encourage  industry,  and  to  cultivate  the 
kind,  the  gentle,  and  the  domestic  virtues — one  little 
remnant  of  the  human  family  stands  unaffected  by  the 
general  amelioration,  a  dark  and  lonely  monument  of 
irretrievable  ignorance — -incorrigible  ferocity  1 

It  is  in  the  hope  of  answering  some  of  these  ques- 
tions, that  this  discussion  is  attempted  ;  and  in  order  to 
arrive  at  any  successful  result,  it  is  necessary  to  go 
back  beyond  our  own  times,  and  to  examine  events 
in  which  we  are  not  immediately  concerned; 

If  we  refer  to  the  earliest  intercourse  of  the  existing 


SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST.  33 

Christian  nations  with  the  barbarous  trite*,  in  different 
qtrlf  in  of  the  world,  we  find  the  disposition  and  con- 
duct of  the  latter  to  he**  been  generally  timid  and  p 

iMe,  and  that  tlie  first  breaches  of  harmony  arose  out 
of  the  aggressions  committed  by  the  former.  When, 
therefore,  we  ■penh  atom  present  lehil isns with them 

as  growing  out  of  necessity,  and  as  resulting  naturally 
from  the  pttthkwe—  and  ferocity  of  the  enrage  cha- 
racter, we  assume  a  position  which  ifl  not  supported 
by  the  facts.  That  a  great  allowance  is  to  be  made 
for  the  disparity  between  civilised  and  ravage  nations, 
i-  true;  and  it  is  equally  true,  that  the  same  degree 
of  confidence  and  cordiality  cannot  exist  between 
then,  as  between  nations  who  acknowledge  a  common 
religious,  moral,  and  international  code,  which  ope- 
rates equally  upon  both  the  parties.  But  this  does 
not  preclude  all  confidence ;  nor  prove  the  Indian 
destitute  of  moral  virtue  and  mental  capability.  On 
the  contrary,  it  must  be  admitted,  that  the  Indians,  in 
their  primitive  state,  p  la  higher  moral  cha- 

racter than  now  belongs  to  them,  and  that  they  have 
been  degraded  in  some  degree,  bv  their  intercourse 
with  civilised  men  ;  and  we  ought,  in  all  our  dealings 
with  them,  to  endeavour,  as  well  to  atone  for  the 
injury  done  to  them  and  to  human  nature,  by  our 
departure  from  Christian  principles,  as  to  bring  them 
back  to  the  same  state  of  moral  dignity  in  which  we 
found  them.  It  may  be  well  to  establish  some  of  the 
positions  we  have  taken,  before  we  proceed  any  fur- 
ther ;  and  in  so  doing  we  do  not  design  to  cast  any 
imputation  upon  our  own  government.  The  great 
mistakes  in  policy,  and  the  monstrous  crimes  commit- 


34  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

ted  against  the  savage  races,  to  which  we  propose  to 
allude,  have  been  perpetrated  by  almost  all  civilised 
nations,  and  our  own  government  has  been  in  this 
respect,  less  criminal  than  any  other.  Indeed,  we 
know  of  no  deliberate  act  of  cruelty  or  injustice 
towards  the  tribes,  with  which  we  are  chargeable  as  a 
people.  On  the  contrary,  our  policy  has  been  mode- 
rate and  just,  and  distinguished,  as  we  shall  show,  by 
a  spirit  of  benevolence.  We  only  complain  that  this 
spirit  has  been  misdirected,  and  that,  with  the  very- 
best  intentions,  we  have  done  great  wrong  to  the 
aborigines,  to  ourselves,  and  to  humanity. 

Let  us  see  how  other  nations  have  acted  towards 
savages,  what  have  been  the  examples  set  us,  and  how 
far  they  have  influenced  our  conduct, 

The  first  discoverers  were  the  Portuguese.  Under 
Don  Henry,  a  prince  who  in  point  of  knowledge  and 
liberal  feeling  was  a  century  in  advance  of  the  age 
in  which  he  lived,  this  people  pushed  their  discoveries 
into  the  Canary  Islands,  the  continent  of  Africa,  and 
the  East  Indies.  They  were  received  with  uniform 
kindness  by  the  natives,  who  regarded  them  as  a 
superior  race  of  beings,  and  were  willing  to  submit 
implicitly  to  their  authority.  Had  the  Europeans  of 
that  day,  and  their  descendants,  cultivated  an  amicable 
understanding  with  those  simple  heathens,  and  rigidly 
adhered  to  a  system  of  good  faith  and  Christian  for- 
bearance, there  is  no  calculating  the  advantages  that 
might  have  ensued  ;  nor  is  it  to  be  doubted  that  those 
ignorant,  helpless,  and  confiding  tribes  would  have 
yielded  themselves,  with  hardly  a  struggle,  to  the 
teaching  of  their  more  intelligent  and  powerful  neigh- 


narroHsi  or  the  west.  88 

bours.  It  was  not  destined,  however,  that  euch  should 
be  the  course  of  human  events.  So  tar  from  making 
the  slightest  efibrts  to  establish  friendly  relations  with 
the  savages,  the  very  earliest  discoverers  exhibited  a 

propensity  for  wanton  mischief  towards  them,  more 
characteristic  of  demon-  than  of  men,  and  which  ren- 
dered them  and  the  religion  they  professed,  ><>  odious, 
that  the  benevolent  e\erti..n-  of  statesmen  and  Chris- 
tians since  thai  time,  have  failed  to  eradicate  the 
deeply  rooted  prejudices  which  had  been  so  injudi- 
ciously  and  so  wickedly  excited.  Among  a  simple 
race,  who  viewed  their  visiters  with  superstitious 
reverence,  as  creatures  more  than  human,  there  must 
have  been  a  mortifying  revulsion  of  feeling,  when  they 
discovered,  in  those  admired  strangers,  all  the  vices 
and  wantonness  which  disgraced  the  rudest  barba- 
rians,  joined  to  powers  which  they  imagined  the  gods 
only  to  possess.  "  Their  dread  and  amazement  was 
raised,"  Bays  Lafitau,  Mto  the  highest  pitch,  when  the 
Euro  i-  tired  their  cannons  and  muskets  among 
them,  and  they  saw  their  companions  fall  dead  at 
their  feet,  without  any  enemy  at  hand  or  any  visible 
cause  of  their  destruction. n 

Alluding  to  these  transactions,  Dr.  Johnson  re- 
marks: "  On  what  occasion,  or  for  what  purpose, 
muskets  were  discharged  among  a  people  harmless 
and  secure,  by  strangers,  who  without  any  right 
visited  their  coast,  it  is  not  thought  necessary  to 
inform  us.  The  Portuguese  could  fear  nothing  from 
them,  and  had  therefore  no  adequate  provocation;  nor 
is  there  any  reason  to  believe  but  that  they  murdered 
the  negroes  in  wanton  merriment,  perhaps  only  to  try 


36  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

how  many  a  volley  would  destroy,  or  what  would  be 
the  consternation  of  those  that  should  escape.  We 
are  openly  told  that  they  had  the  less  scruple  con- 
cerning their  treatment  of  the  savage  people,  because 
they  scarcely  considered  them  as  distinct  from  beasts; 
and  indeed,  the  practice  of  all  European  nations,  and 
among  others,  of  the  English  barbarians  that  cultivate 
the  southern  islands  of  America,  proves  that  this 
opinion,  however  absurd  and  foolish,  however  wicked 
and  injurious,  still  continues  to  prevail." 

"  By  these  practices,  the  first  discoverers  alienated 
the  natives  from  them ;  and  whenever  a  ship  appeared, 
every  one  that  could  fly  betook  himself  to  the  moun- 
tains and  the  woods,  so  that  nothing  was  to  be  got 
more  than  they  could  steal ;  they  sometimes  surprised 
a  few  fishers,  and  made  them  slaves,  and  did  what  they 
could  to  offend  the  natives,  and  enrich  themselves." 
{Introduction  to  The  World  Displayed). 

These  events  commenced  about  the  year  1392, 
which  is  the  date  of  the  discovery  of  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  by  the  Portuguese.  Chivalry  was  at  its 
zenith  about  the  same  time.  It  was  an  age  of  moral 
darkness  and  military  violence.  Tamerlane,  the  Tar- 
tar, was  reigning  in  Persia,  and  Margaret,  the  Semi- 
ramis  of  the  north,  in  Denmark.  It  was  the  age  of 
Gower  and  Chaucer,  the  fathers  of  English  poetry, 
and  of  Harry  Percy,  the  celebrated  Hotspur.  About 
the  same  time  Wickliffe,  the  morning  star  of  the 
reformation,  had  made  the  first  English  translation  of 
the  Bible,  and  Huss  and  Jerome  of  Prague  began  to 
publish  their  doctrines.  The  intelligent  reader,  keep- 
ins  these  facts  in  mind,  will  be  at  no  loss  to  account 


SKETCH  Bi   I   I     THE  WEST.  37 

far  ■  course  of  conduct  on  the  part  of  the  Portuguese 
towards  Africans  differing  but  little  from  the  intnlcr- 
■ace,  the  deception,  and  the  wanton  barbarity,  which 
distinguished  the  intercourse  of  European  nations 
with  each  other,  and  with  the  orientals. 

In  1 1!<J,  Columbus  gave  a  new  world  to  European 
curiosity,  avarice,  and  despotism.  It  would  be  vain 
t«>  attempt  to  follow  the  Spanish  conquerors  in  their 
desolating  progress  through  the  islands  and  continent  of 
America.  Like  the  Portuguese,  they  were  kindly  re- 
ceived ;  like  them  they  repaid  kindness  witli  cruelty. 
Their  footsteps  were  dyed  with  bood — crueltv,  violence, 
and  lust,  marked  all  their  actions.  Men  seemed  to  be 
transformed  into  ministers  of  darkness,  and  acted  such 
deeds  in  real  life,  as  the  boldest  and  darkest  imagina- 
tion has  never  ventured  to  suggest,  even  in  poetic 
frenzy.  Bearing  the  cross  in  one  hand,  and  the 
sword  in  the  other,  combining  bigotry  with  militarv 
rapine,  and  the  thirst  for  gold  with  the  lust  of  power, 
they  united  in  one  vast  scheme,  all  the  most  terrible 
engines,  and  worst  incentives  of  crime.  We  do  not 
know  that  there  is  to  be  found  in  history,  a  recital 
more  touching  than  the  account  of  the  conquest  of 
Mexico  by  Cortes,  or  than  that  of  Peru  by  Pizarro. 
In  each  of  these  instances,  the  conquerors  were  at 
first  received  with  hospitality  by  their  confiding  vic- 
tim.-. They  each  found  an  amiable  people,  possessing 
many  of  the  social  arts,  living  happily  under  a  govern* 
men!  of  their  own  choice,  and  practising  fewer  of  tin- 
unnatural  rites  of  superstition  than  commonly  pre- 
vailed among  the  heathen. 

The    discoverj     and    invasion    of    Mexico    by    tin' 

VOL.   I. 1 


SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

Spaniards  under  Hernando  Cortes,  occurred  in  the 
sixteenth  centurv.  and  the  Europeans  were  not  a  little 
surprised  at  the  greatness  of  the  population,  and  the 
splendour  of  the  cities.     The  city  of  Mexico,  exclusive 
of  its  suburbs,  is  said  to  have  measured  ten  miles  in 
circumference,  and  contained  according  to  the  Spanish 
writers  sixrv  thousand  houses.     Dr.  Robertson  thinks 
it  did  not  contain  more  than  that  many  inhabitants  : 
but  that  point  cannot  now  be  settled,  nor  is  it  import- 
ant.    Enough  is  known  to  satisfy  us  that  the  people 
had  passed  from  the  savage  state,  in  which  the  subsist- 
ence of  man  is  chiefly  derived  from  fishing  and  hunting. 
and  had  congregated  in  large   towns.     They  had  a 
regular  government,  and  a  system  of  laws.     The  king 
lived  in  great  state.      u  He  had."  says  Cortes.  M  in 
this  city  of  Mexico,  such  houses  for  his  habitation,  so 
deserving   of  admiration,    that  I   cannot    sufficiently 
express  their  grandeur  and  excellence  :  I  shall  there- 
fore onlv  sav.  there  are  none  equal  to  them  in  Spain." 
One  of  the  Spanish  leaders,  who  is  styled  by  Clavi- 
2ero.  the  ••  anonvmous  conqueror."  in  consequence  of 
having  published  a  work  to  which  his  name  is  not 
attached,  writes  thus  :     "  There  were  beautiful  houses 
belonging  to  the  nobles,  so  grand  and  numerous  in 
their   apartments,  with    such    admirable    gardens    to 
them,  that  the  sisht  of  them  rilled  us  with  astonish- 
ment   and    delight.      I    entered    from    curiosity  four 
times    into   a   palace  belonging  to   Montezuma,   and 
having  pervaded  it  until  I  was  weary.  I  came  away  at 
last  without  havin?  seen  it  all.     Around  a  large  court 
they  used  to  build  sumptuous  halls  and  chambers :  but 
ae  above  all  so  large  that  it  was  capable 


40  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

afforded  sufficient  proofs  of  the  industry  and  ingenuity 
of  the  people. 

Taking  them  altogether,  the  Mexicans  had  many 
high  and  estimable  traits  in  their  national  character ; 
and  they  probably  enjoyed  in  social  life  as  much  hap- 
piness as  is  usually  allotted  to  man.  Speaking  of 
Tascalteca,  a  city  of  Mexico,  Cortes  says,  "  I  was 
surprised  at  its  size  and  magnificence.  It  is  larger 
and  stronger  than  Grenada,  contains  as  many  and  as 
handsome  buildings,  and  is  much  more  populous  than 
that  city  at  the  time  of  its  conquest.  It  is  also  much 
better  supplied  with  corn,  poultry,  game,  fresh  water, 
fish,  pulse,  and  other  excellent  vegetables.  There 
are  in  the  market  each  day,  thirty  thousand  persons, 
including  buyers  and  sellers,  without  mentioning  the 
merchants  and  petty  dealers  dispersed  over  the  city. 
In  this  market,  may  be  bought  every  necessary  of  life, 
clothes,  shoes,  feathers  of  all  kinds,  ornaments  of  gold 
and  silver  as  well  wrought  as  in  any  part  of  the  world  ; 
various  kinds  of  earthen  ware  of  a  superior  quality  to 
that  of  Spain,  wood,  coal,  herbs,  and  medicinal  plants. 
Here  are  houses  for  baths,  and  places  for  washing  and 
shearing  goats ;  in  short,  this  city  exhibits  great  regu- 
larity, and  has  a  good  police ;  the  inhabitants  are 
peculiarly  neat,  and  far  superior  to  the  most  indus- 
trious of  the  Africans."  The  city  of  Cholula  is 
described  by  Bernal  Diaz,  as  "  resembling  Valladolid," 
and  containing  20,000  inhabitants.  Both  of  these 
cities  were  of  course  vastly  inferior  to  Mexico ;  but  it 
is  not  necessary  to  detain  the  reader  by  a  further 
attempt  to  prove  the  civilisation  of  the  Mexicans.  If 
we  except  the   single  article   of  Christian  faith,  in 


SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST.  41 

which  the  Spaniards  had  the  advantage  of  them,  we 
question  whether  they  were  not,  immediately  previous 
to  their  subjugation,  in  a  higher  state  of  civilisation 
than  their  oppressors,  whether  they  had  not  better 
practical  views  of  civil  liberty,  more  just  notions  of 
private  right,  and  more  of  the  amiable  propensities 
and  softer  virtues  of  life. 

Their  laws  were  superior  to  those  of  the  Greeks  or 
Romans,  and  their  magistrates  more  just.  They 
punished  with  death  their  judges  who  passed  a  sen- 
tence that  was  unjust  or  contrary  to  law,  or  who  made 
an  incorrect  statement  of  any  cause  to  the  king  or  to 
a  superior  magistrate,  or  who  accepted  a  bribe.  Any 
person  who  altered  the  measures  established  in  their 
markets  met  with  the  same  punishment.  Guardians 
who  wasted  the  estates  of  their  wards  were  punished 
capitally.  Drunkenness  in  their  youth  was  punished 
with  death ;  in  persons  more  advanced  in  life,  it  was 
punished  with  severity,  though  not  capitally.  A  noble- 
man, who  was  guilty  of  this  vice,  was  stripped  of  his 
dignity,  and  rendered  infamous  ;  a  plebeian  was  shaved 
and  had  his  house  demolished.  Their  maxim  was 
that  he  who  could  voluntarily  deprive  himself  of  his 
senses,  was  unworthy  of  a  habitation  among  men ;  but 
this  law  did  not  extend  to  the  aged,  who  were  allowed 
to  drink  as  much  as  they  pleased  upon  their  own 
responsibility. 

Thev  had  a  good  police,  and  excellent  internal 
regulations.  Couriers  were  maintained,  by  whom 
intelligence  was  regularly  and  rapidly  transmitted. 
Their  highways  were  annually  repaired  ;  in  the  moun- 
tains and  uninhabited  places,  there  were  houses  erected 

4# 


42  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

for  the  accommodation  of  travellers;  and  they  had 
bridges  and  boats  for  crossing  rivers.  The  land  was 
divided  by  appropriate  boundaries,  and  owned  by  indi- 
viduals, and  the  right  of  property  in  real  as  well  as 
personal  estate,  was  thoroughly  understood  and  re- 
spected. 

This  subject  is  curious  and  highly  interesting. 
Few  are  aware  of  the  degree  of  civilisation  which 
prevailed  among  the  Mexicans  and  South  American 
nations,  previous  to  their  conquest  by  the  Spaniards — 
the  intelligence,  the  kindness,  the  hospitality,  and 
respectable  virtues  of  the  natives,  and  the  atrocious 
character  of  the  marauders  by  whom  they  were 
invaded,  despoiled,  and  enslaved. 

One  instance,  in  proof  of  these  assertions,  may  be 
found  in  a  late  fascinating  work  of  a  distinguished 
American  writer,  and  is  so  affecting,  and  strongly  in 
point,  that  I  cannot  forbear  alluding  to  it.  Vasco 
Nunez,  one  of  the  most  celebrated  of  the  conquerors 
of  New  Spain,  and  who,  to  great  intrepidity  of  charac- 
ter, is  described  as  having  added  a  share  of  magna- 
nimity, not  usual  among  the  Spanish  captains  of  that 
day,  had  been  hospitably  received  by  one  of  the  native 
princes.  With  the  usual  perfidy  of  his  time  and 
country,  he  made  captives  of  the  cacique,  his  wives, 
and  children,  and  many  of  his  people.  He  also  dis- 
covered their  store  of  provisions,  and  returned  with 
his  captives,  and  his  booty,  to  Darien.  When  the 
unfortunate  cacique  beheld  his  family  in  chains,  and 
in  the  hands  of  strangers,  his  heart  was  wrung  with 
despair :  "  What  have  I  done  to  thee,"  said  he  to 
Vasco  Nunez,   "that   thou   shouldst    treat    me    thus 


>KET<  IIES   OF  Till .    w  I  -I  43 

cruelly  ?  None  of  thy  people  never  came  to  mv  land 
thai  were  not  fed,  and  sheltered,  and  treated  with 
loving  kindness.  When  thou  earnest  to  my  dwelling, 
did  I  meet  thee  with  a  javelin  in  my  hand  ?  Did  I 
BOl  stt  meal  and  drink  before  thee,  and  welcome  thee 
AS  a  brother  ?  Set  me  free,  therefore,  with  my  family 
and  people,  and  we  will  remain  thy  friends.  We  will 
supply  thee  with  provisions,  and  reveal  to  thee  tin 
riches  of  the  land.  Dost  thou  doubt  my  faith  I  Be- 
hold my  daughter,  I  give  her  to  thee,  as  a  pledge  of 
friendship.  Take  her  for  thy  wife,  and  be  assured  of 
the  fidelity  of  her  family  and  her  people  !" 

"  Vasco  Nunez  felt  the  force  of  these  words,  and 
knew  the  importance  of  forming  a  strong  alliance 
among  the  natives.  The  captive  maid  also,  as  she 
stood  trembling  and  dejected  before  him,  found  great 
favour  in  his  eyes,  for  she  was  young  and  beautiful. 
He  granted  therefore  the  prayer  of  the  cacique,  and 
accepted  his  daughter,  engaging,  moreover,  to  aid  the 
father  against  his  enemies,  on  condition  of  his  furnish- 
ing provision  to  the  colon  v. 

M  Careta  (the  Indian  prince)  remained  three  days 

at  Darien,  during  which  time  he  was  treated  with  the 

utmost   kindness.     Vasco  Nunez  took  him  on  board 

ships,  and  showed  him  every  part  of  them.     He 

displayed  before  him  also  the  war  horses,  with  their 

armour  and  rich  caparisons,  and  astonished  him  with 

th»   thunder  of  artillery.     Lest  he  should  be  too  much 

daunted   by   these  warlike   spectacles,   he  caused  the 

<:ians  to  perform  a  harmonious  concert,  on  their 

instruments,  at  which  the  cacique  was  Lost  in  admira- 

Thus  having  impressed  him  with  a  wonderful 


44  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

idea  of  the  power  and  endowments  of  his  new  allies,  he 
loaded  him  with  presents,  and  permitted  him  to  depart. 

"  Careta  returned  joyfully  to  his  territories,  and  his 
daughter  remained  with  Vasco  Nunez,  willingly,  for 
his  sake,  giving  up  her  family  and  native  home. 
They  were  never  married,  but  she  considered  herself 
as  his  wife,  as  she  really  was,  according  to  the  usages 
of  her  own  country,  and  he  treated  her  with  fondness, 
allowing  her  gradually  to  acquire  a  great  influence 
over  him." — Irving. 

I  envy  not  the  man  who  can  read  this  affecting 
passage,  without  mingled  emotions  of  admiration  and 
pity.  Who  in  this  case  displayed  the  attributes  of 
savage  barbarians  ?  Was  it  the  daring  marauder, 
who  violated  the  rules  of  hospitality?  Was  it  the 
generous  chief,  who  opened  his  heart  and  his  house 
with  confiding  hospitality  to  the  military  stranger — 
who,  when  betrayed,  appeals  to  his  treacherous  guest, 
with  all  the  manly  simplicity  of  an  honest  heart, 
mingled  with  the  deep  emotion  of  a  bereaved  parent 
and  an  insulted  sovereign — and  who,  with  the  mag- 
nanimous patriotism  of  a  Brutus,  gave  up  his  child,  a 
young  and  beautiful  maiden,  to  purchase  the  liberty  of 
his  people  ?  Or  was  it  the  Indian  maid  adorned  with 
graces  that  could  win  the  heart  of  that  ruthless 
soldier,  "  willingly  for  his  sake  giving  up  her  family 
and  native  home,"  discharging  with  devoted  fidelity 
the  duty  of  the  most  sacred  relation  in  life,  and 
achieving  by  her  talents,  and  feminine  attractions,  a 
complete  conquest  over  her  country's  conqueror? 
Shame  on  the  abuse  of  language,  that  would  call  such 
a  people  savage  ! 


SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST.  45 

At  a  much  later  period,  and  when  the  Christian 
world  was  far  more  enlightened  than  in  the  days  of 
Hernando  Cortes,  the  British  commenced  their  con- 
quests in  India ;  yet  we  do  not  find  that  the  superior 
light  which  they  possessed,  both  religious  and  political, 
had  any  other  effect  than  to  make  them  more  refined 
in  their  cruelties.  They  acted  over  again  in  the  East 
Indies,  all  the  atrocities  which  had  been  perpetrated 
in  New  Spain,  with  this  only  difference,  that  they  did 
not  pretend  to  plead  the  apology  of  religious  fanaticism. 
The  Spaniards  attempted  to  impose  on  others,  and 
may  possibly  have  succeeded  in  many  instances  in 
imposing  upon  themselves,  the  belief  that  they  served 
God  in  oppressing  the  heathen ;  for  their  conquests 
were  made  in  an  intolerant  age,  when  such  opinions 
were  prevalent.  But  the  English  had  no  such  notions; 
for  some  of  their  best  patriots  and  soundest  divines 
had  lived  previous  to  the  conquest  of  India,  and  the 
intellectual  character  of  the  nation  was  deeply  imbued 
with  the  principles  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  before 
that  period.  The  love  of  money  and  of  dominion 
were  their  only  incentives  ;  and  they  pillaged,  tortured, 
murdered,  and  enslaved  a  people  as  civilised  and  as 
gentle  as  the  Mexicans,  without  the  shadow  of  an 
excuse.  The  disclosures  made  before  the  British 
parliament,  at  the  trial  of  Warren  Hastings,  justify 
these  assertions,  and  subsequent  events  have  shown 
that  our  kinsmen  across  the  water  have  improved  but 
little  in  their  conduct  towards  their  wretched  depen- 
dencies. 

The  Dutch  had  at  one  time  several  colonies  ;  but  our 
information  respecting  them  is  but  meagre,  for  that 


46  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

worthy  money-making  people  have  always  had  the 
knack  of  keeping  their  own  counsel,  and  have  publish- 
ed but  few  of  the  records  of  their  iniquities.  We 
know  enough,  however,  to  satisfy  us  that  the  barbarous 
nations  owe  them  no  obligations. 

Need  we  pursue  the  navigators  of  these  and  other 
nations  to  the  different  quarters  of  the  globe  into  which 
scientific  curiosity,  mercantile  enterprise,  and  naval 
skill  have  penetrated  ?  Such  an  investigation  would 
but  add  new  facts  in  support  of  the  positions  we  have 
taken;  and  we  think  it  unnecessary  to  burthen  an 
article  like  this  with  an  accumulated  mass  of  testimony. 
We  prefer  to  throw  out  the  hints,  leaving  the  intelli- 
gent reader  to  make  the  application,  and  to  draw  the 
proofs  from  the  stores  of  his  own  memory. 


skj  i  <  ass  or  tiii:  nm  r.  17 


CHAPTER  II. 

The    character    and    motives    of   the  early    discoverers — Their 
habitual  cruelty  and  bad  faith  towards  savage  nations. 

We  may  pause  here  to  enquire,  how  it  has  happened, 
that  wherever  the  civilised  European  has  placed  his 
fool  upon  heathen  soil,  he  seems  at  once  to  have  been 
transformed  into  a  barbarian.  All  the  refinements  of 
civilised  life  seem  to  have  been  forgotten.  His  bene- 
volcnce,  his  sensibility,  his  high  sense  of  honour,  his 
nice  perception  of  justice,  his  guarded  deportment,  his 
long  habits  of  integrity,  punctuality  and  kindness,  are 
all  thrown  aside  ;  and  not  only  has  he  been  less  honest 
than  the  savage  in  his  private  dealings,  but  has  far 
out-stripped  him  in  all  the  worst  propensities  of  human 
nature — in  avarice,  revenge,  rapine,  bloodthirstiness, 
and  wanton  cruelty.  To  the  capricious  wantonness 
of  the  savage,  and  that  prodigality  of  life  which  dis- 
tinguished men  accustomed  to  the  restraints  of  law, 
and  the  ties  of  society,  he  had  added  the  ingenuity  of 
art,  and  the  insolence  of  power.  The  lust  of  empire, 
and  the  lust  of  money,  have  given  him  incentives  to 
crime  which  do  not  stimulate  the  Indian,  and  his  in- 
tellectual elevation  has  furnished  him  with  weapons  of 
war,  and  engines  of  oppression,  which  have  been 
wielded  with  a  fearful  energy  of  purpose,  and  a  mon- 
strous depravity  of  motive. 

-Nor  were  the  desperate  adventurers,  who  led  the 


49  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

van  of  discovery  and  conquest  in  heathen  lands,  alone 
implicated  in  the  guilt  of  these  transactions.     They 
were  sanctioned  by  the  throne  and  the  church.     The 
pope   formally   delivered  over  the   heathen  into    the 
hands  of  the  secular  power,  the  kings  abandoned  them 
to  the  military  leaders,  and  the  nobles,  the  merchants, 
the  wealthy  and  reputable  of  all  ranks,  became  part- 
ners in  the  outfit  of  these  nefarious  enterprises  which 
were  styled  voyages  of  discovery — sharers  in  the  pil- 
lage, and   accessaries  in   the  slaughter,  of  inoffensive 
nations.     We  are  struck  with  astonishment  when  we 
see  the  people  of  countries  professing  the  Christian 
faith,  having  social  regulations,  and  respecting  in  some 
sort  a  code  of  international  law  among  themselves, 
thus  turned  in  a  moment  into  ruthless  depredators,  and 
trampling  every  maxim  of  justice,  human  and  divine. 
In  searching  out  the   moving  causes  of  this  appa- 
rently anomalous  operation  of   the  human  mind,  by 
which  a  change  of  circumstances  seems  to  have  pro- 
duced an  instantaneous  and  radical  transformation  of 
character,  I  remark,  in  the  first  place,  that  the  age  of 
discovery  was   an  age    of   ignorance.       None  of  the 
great  fountains  of  light  had  yet   been   opened  to  pour 
out  that  flood  of  knowledge  which  has  since  penetrated 
to  every   quarter   of   the   globe,   and   to  disseminate 
those  pure  principles  of  conduct  which  now  regulate 
the  intercourse  of  men,  and  of  nations.     In  Europe 
the  great   mass  of  the  people — all  of   those  whose 
united  opinions  make   up  what  is  called  public  senti- 
ment, were  alike  destitute  of  moral  culture  ;  the  ruler 
and  the  subject,  the  noble  and  the  plebeian,  the  martial 
leader  and  the  wretched  peasant  were  equally  deficient 


SKETCIIES    OF    THE    WEST.  40 

in  literature  and  science.  All  knowledge  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  priests,  and  was  by  them  perverted  to 
the  forwarding  of  their  own  selfish  purposes.  The 
great  secret  of  their  influence  consisted  in  an  inge- 
nious concealment  of  all  the  sources  of  knowledge. 
The  Bible,  the  only  elevated,  pure,  and  consistent  code 
of  ethics  which  the  world  has  ever  known,  was  a 
sealed  book  to  the  people.  The  ancient  classics  were 
carefully  concealed  from  the  public  eye  ;  and  the  few 
sciences  which  were  at  all  cultivated,  were  enveloped 
in  the  darkness  of  the  dead  languages.  No  system 
could  have  been  more  ingenious  or  more  successful, 
than  thus  to  clothe  the  treasures  of  knowledge  in  Ian- 
guages  difficult  of  attainment,  and  accessible  only  to 
the  highborn  and  wealthy — for  as  the  latter  are  pre- 
cisely the  persons  who  seldom  undergo  the  labour  of 
unlocking  the  stores  of  learning,  and  who  still  less 
frequently  teach  what  they  have  acquired  to  others, 
or  turn  their  acquisitions  to  any  profitable  account, 
such  a  system  amounted  in  practice  to  a  monopoly  of 
learning  in  the  hands  of  priesthood.  And  it  is  curious 
to  remark — if  I  may  be  indulged  in  making  the  re- 
mark in  this  place — that  the  monastic  system  of  edu- 
cation, thus  originating  in  a  foul  conspiracy  against  the 
intellect  of  man,  and  designed  to  accumulate  the  stores 
of  knowledge  in  the  hands  of  a  few,  and  to  wither  up 
the  vigour  and  enterprise  of  the  common  people  in 
the  imbecility  of  hopeless  ignorance,  was  the  plan 
upon  which  all  the  colleges  of  Europe  were  at  first 
founded,  and  is  still  the  plan,  with  but  little  variation, 
of  all  our  great  seminaries  of  learning ;  the  alumni  of 
vol.  i — 5 


50  SKETCHES    OF    THE    WEST. 

which,  if  they  ever  acquire  distinction,  obtain  it  not 
by  the  aid,  but  in  spite,  of  their  college  educations. 

Not  only  were  the  people  of  that  day  destitute  of 
education,  but  the  intercourse  of  nations  with  each 
other,  previous  to  the  discovery  of  the  mariner's  com- 
pass, was  extremely  limited ;  and  the  wonderful 
facilities  for  gaining  and  diffusing  intelligence,  afford- 
ed by  the  art  of  navigation,  had  but  just  begun  to 
operate  in  the  days  of  Columbus  and  Cortes. 

The  little  knowledge  that  existed  was  perverted 
and  misapplied.  Where  there  was  little  freedom  of 
thought,  and  no  general  spirit  of  enquiry,  precedents 
were  indiscriminately  adopted,  however  inconsistent, 
and  examples  blindly  followed,  however  wicked  or 
absurd.  The  scholar  found  authority  for  every  crime 
in  the  classics  of  heathen  nations,  who  have  left  no- 
thing behind  them  worthy  of  admiration,  except  a  few 
splendid  specimens  of  useless  luxury  and  worthless 
refinement,  and  some  rare  fragments  of  magnanimity 
and  virtue  :  while  their  literature  abounds  in  incentives 
to  ambition,  rapine,  and  violence.  The  few  who  read 
the  scriptures  wrested  the  precepts  of  revelation,  and 
the  history  of  the  primitive  nations,  into  authority  for 
their  own  high-handed  aggressions,  and  because  dis- 
tinctions were  made  between  the  Jews  and  the 
heathens  by  whom  they  were  surrounded,  presump- 
tuously or  ignorantly  supposed  that  the  same  relation 
continued  to  exist  between  the  true  believer  and  the 
heretic,  and  that  the  latter  were  "  given  to  them  for 
an  inheritance."  How  manifold  have  been  the  crimes 
perpetrated  in  the  name  of  religion  !  How  numerous 
have  been  the   aberrations  fiom  rectitude,  committed 


SKETCHES    OF    THE    WEST.  51 

under  the  too  common  mistake  of  following  the  ex- 
amples of  history,  instead  of  being  admonished  by 
its  warnings ! 

The  era  now  under  contemplation  was  a  martial  age. 
Ambition  expended  all  its  energies  in  the  pursuit  of 
military  glorv  ;  the  fervours  of  genius  were  all  conduct- 
ed into  this  channel,  and,  confined  in  every  other  direc- 
tion, burst  forth  like  a  volcano,  in  the  flame  and  violence 
of  warlike  achievement.  The  only  road  to  fame,  or  to 
preferment,  led  across  the  battle  field  ;  the  hero  waded 
to  power  through  seas  of  blood,  or  strode  to  affluence 
over  the  carcasses  of  the  slain ;  and  they  who  sat  in 
high  places  were  accustomed  to  look  upon  carnage  as 
a  necessary  agent,  or  an  unavoidable  incident,  to  great- 
ness. The  people  were  every  where  accustomed  to 
scenes  of  violence.  The  right  of  conquest  was  uni- 
versally acknowledged,  and  success  was  the  criterion 
of  merit.  The  act  of  gaining,  and  the  power  to 
maintain  by  fraud  or  force,  always  vested  a  sufficient 
title.  Private  rights,  whether  of  person  or  property, 
were  little  understood,  and  universally  disregarded; 
and  national  justice  in  any  enlarged,  systematic  sense, 
was  neither  practised  nor  professed.  Certain  chi- 
valrous courtesies,  there  were,  undoubtedly,  practised 
among  the  military  and  the  high-born,  and  gleams  of 
magnanimity  occasionally  flashed  out,  amid  the  gloom 
of  anarchy  ;  but  they  afforded  no  steady  light  nor 
warmth.  They  were  the  grim  civilities  of  warriors, 
or  the  formal  politeness  of  the  great,  which  did  not 
pervade  the  mass  of  the  people,  and  tended  not  to  re- 
fine the  age,  nor  soften  the  asperities  of  oppression. 

It  was  besides  an  age  of  intolerance,  bigotry,  super- 


52  SKETCHES    OF    THE    WEST. 

stition  and  clerical  despotism ;  when  those  who  re- 
gulated the  minds  and  consciences  of  men,  were 
monsters  of  depravity,  monuments  of  perverted  taste, 
intellect,  and  morals,  anomalies  in  the  intercourse  of 
human  life — men  who  lived  estranged  from  society, 
aliens  from  its  business,  strangers  to  its  domestic  re- 
lations, enemies  to  its  best  interest,  its  noblest  virtues, 
itrs  kindliest  affections ;  but  who  yet  presided  at  the 
altars,  and  in  the  courts  of  justice,  who  stood  behind 
the  throne  and  in  the  closet,  who  held  the  heart- 
strings of  the  peasant  and  the  peer,  and  wielded  the 
revenues  of  empires,  while  they  grasped  the  hard 
earnings  of  the  industrious  poor.  It  was  in  short,  the 
age  of  the  inquisition  and  the  rack ;  when  opinions 
were  regulated  by  law  and  enforced  by  the  stake  and 
the  spear;  and  when  departures  from  established 
maxims  were  punished  by  torture,  disfranchisement, 
and  death. 

Under  such  auspices,  commenced  the  intercourse  of 
civilised  with  savage  nations ;  and  unfortunately,  the 
pioneers  who  led  the  way  in  the  discovery  and  colonis- 
ation of  new  countries  were,  with  a  few  bright  ex- 
ceptions, the  worst  men  of  their  time — the  priest,  the 
soldier,  and  the  mariner ;  men  inured  to  cruelty, 
violence,  and  rapine,  and  from  whose  codes  of  religion, 
morality,  and  law,  imperfect  as  they  were,  the  poor 
heathen  was  entirely  excluded.  It  is  easy,  therefore, 
to  discover  the  motives  which  governed  all  their  ac- 
tions. Accustomed  to  oppress  and  to  cringe,  they 
knew  no  law  but  that  of  self-defence,  or  self-aggran- 
disement. They  were  loose  in  principle,  and  unre* 
strained  in  the  indulgence  of  their  passions.     The 


SKETCHES    OF    THE    WEST.  53 

ties  that  bound  them  to  each  other,  or  to  society,  were 
weak  ;  but  with  the  savage  they  had  no  communion  of 
interest  or  feeling. 

When  we  recollect  how  toting  are  first  impres- 
sions, and  how  difficult  it  is  to  eradicate  a  deeply  seat- 
ed prejudice,  we  need  not  be  surprised  that  the  odious 
conduct  of  the  first  European  discoverers  should  have 
created  repulsive  associations  in  the  savage  mind, 
which  time  has  not  been  able  to  obliterate.  When 
confidence  was  repaid  by  treachery,  and  kindness  by 
insult,  resentment  of  the  most  vindictive  character 
was  awakened,  and  all  subsequent  intercourse  has  but 
contributed  to  widen  the  breach.  The  evil  example 
set  by  the  first  conquerors,  operated  with  contagious 
seduction  upon  those  who  followed,  inducing  from 
generation  to  generation  a  similar  course  of  conduct, 
softened  only  in  the  degree  of  its  turpitude,  by  the 
general  amelioration  of  the  human  character,  but  un- 
changed in  kind.  And  when  we  reflect  farther  how 
almost  impossible  it  is  to  soothe  the  irritation  of  ex- 
cited passions ;  and  to  build  up  social  and  kind  re- 
lations, in  the  midst  of  a  chaos  of  tumult,  crime,  and 
violence — it  is  not  difficult  to  trace  out  the  chain  of 
circumstances,  acting  with  the  certainty  of  cause  and 
effect,  which  have  perpetuated  the  errors  and  misdeeds 
of  the  first  discoverers  through  the  successive  genera- 
tions of  their  descendants,  and  operating  with  equal 
power  upon  the  unhappy  victims  of  oppression. 


54  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 


CHAPTER  III. 

First  settlements  in  North  America — The  Pilgrims — Settlers  of 

Virginia. 

We  have  attempted  to  show  what  was  the  public 
sentiment  of  all  Christendom,  in  reference  to  the 
savage  tribes  inhabiting  the  new  countries  which 
began  to  be  visited  by  Europeans,  at  that  period  when 
the  singular  union  of  military  ardour  and  commercial 
enterprise  induced  the  prosecution  of  so  many  voyages 
of  discovery  and  conquest.  It  is  obvious  that  the  first 
aggression  was  almost  invariably  committed  by  the 
whites ;  yet  history  does  not  afford  the  slightest  evi- 
dence that  any  public  disapprobation  was  manifested, 
either  by  the  governments  or  people  of  those  coun- 
tries whose  adventurers  were  overrunning  the  uncivil- 
ised parts  of  the  world  in  search  of  plunder,  and 
in  the  perpetration  of  every  species  of  enormity. 
Savages  were  not  recognised  as  having  any  rights. 
A  classic  hatred  of  barbarians,  or  a  holy  zeal  against 
unbelievers,  animated  all  classes  of  society,  and  sanc- 
tioned every  outrage  which  was  inflicted  in  the  name 
of  religion  or  civilisation,  by  lawless  adventurers, 
upon  the  unoffending  inhabitants  of  newly  discovered 
regions. 

In  the  settlement  of  North  America,  the  conduct 
of  the  whites  towards  the  Indians  was  far  less 
blameable  than  in  the  instances  above  quoted;   but 


SKETCHES   OF  THE  WEST.  58 

n  was  by  no  means  free  from  violence.  The 
founders  of  New  England  were  a  pious  race,  who 
brought  with  them  a  political  creed  far  more  en- 
lightened, and  a  much  purer  system  of  moral  action, 
than  any  portion  of  Europe  had  yet  learned  to 
tolerate.  They  were  disposed  to  act  conscientiously 
in  their  public,  as  well  as  their  private  concerns;  and 
their  relations  with  the  Indians  were  commenced  in 
amity  and  good  faith.  Their  great  fault  was  their 
religious  intolerance.  Theirs  was  an  intolerant  age; 
and  it  is  not  surprising  that  a  people  who  persecuted 
one  another  on  account  of  sectarian  differences  of 
opinion,  should  have  little  charity  for  unbelievers. 
They  who  burned  old  women  for  indulging  in  the 
innocent  pastime  of  riding  on  broom-sticks,  fined 
quakers  for  wearing  broad  brimmed  hats,  and  enacted, 
from  the  purest  impulse  of  conscience,  all  the  other 
extravagances  of  the  blue  laws,  may  well  have  fancied 
themselves  privileged  to  oppress  the  uncivilised  Indian. 
They  could  not  brook  the  idea  of  associating  with 
heathens  as  with  equals.  They  looked  upon  them 
with  scorn,  and  negotiated  with  them  as  with  inferiors. 
However  a  sense  of  duty  might  restrain  them  from 
open  insult  or  injury,  they  could  not  conceal  their 
abhorrence  of  the  persons  and  principles  of  their  new 
allies.  That  a  free  untamed  race,  accustomed  to  no 
superiors,  should  long  remain  in  amicable  intercourse 
with  a  precise  sectarian  people,  who  held  them  in 
utter  aversion,  was  not  to  be  expected ;  and  accord- 
ingly we  find  that  the  hollow  friendship  of  these 
parties  was  soon  interrupted.  The  stern  ancestors  of 
the  Warrens,  and  Putnams,  and  Adamses,   however 


56  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

well  they  understood  the  fortiter  in  re,  were  but  indif- 
ferently skilled  in  the  suaviter  in  modo.  Wars  en- 
sued, and  no  lasting  peace  was  ever  restored,  until  the 
Indian  tribes  were  extinguished  or  driven  from  the 
country. 

We  consider  this  the  fairest  instance  that  could  be 
quoted  in  proof  of  the  universal  prevalence  of  that 
public  sentiment  in  relation  to  savages  to  which  we 
have  alluded.  "  The  settlement  of  New  England,"  says 
one  of  the  most  respectable  of  our  historians,  "  purely 
for  the  purpose  of  religion,  and  the  propagation  of  civil 
and  religious  liberty,  is  an  event  which  has  no  parallel  in 
the  history  of  modern  ages.  The  piety,  self-denial,  suf- 
ferings, patience,  perseverance,  and  magnanimity  of  the 
first  settlers  of  the  country,  are  without  a  rival.  The 
happy  and  extensive  consequences  of  the  settlements 
which  they  made,  and  of  the  sentiments  which  they 
were  careful  to  propagate  to  their  posterity,  to  the 
church,  and  to  the  world,  admit  of  no  description." 
We  are  not  disposed  to  dispute  a  word  of  this  propo- 
sition, extravagant  as  it  may  seem.  There  is  a  simple 
yet  a  sublime  beauty  displayed  in  the  character  of 
the  pilgrim  fathers,  a  purity  and  steadiness  of  purpose 
evinced  in  the  history  of  their  enterprise,  an  adher- 
ence to  virtuous  principle  in  their  action  and  legisla- 
tion, which  throw  a  halo  of  glory  around  their  names, 
and  entitle  them  to  be  remembered  with  veneration. 
The  perversion  of  public  opinion,  which  could  induce 
such  men,  themselves  the  victims  of  oppression,  and 
the  asserters  of  liberal  principles,  to  treat  the  savages 
as  brutes,  must  have  been  wide  spread  and  deeply 
seated ;  yet  such  was  certainly  their  conduct. 


SKETCHES   OF  THE   WEST.  ~>7 

When  we  remark  the  weakness  of  the  first  settle- 
ments in  New  England,  remember  that  their  infant 
villages  were  on  several  oocanoos  almost  depopulated 
by  famine  and  sickness,  it  is  obvious  that  the  Indians 
must  have  been  peaceably  disposed  towards  them,  as 
there  were  several  periods  ;it  which  they  could  with 
ease  have  exterminated  all  the  colonists.  We  have, 
however,  on  this  subject,  positive  evidence.  Trum- 
bull, the  historian  of  Connecticut,  who  has  collected 
all  the  oldest  authorities  with  great  care,  says  that 
"  the  English  lived  in  tolerable  peace  with  all  the 
Indians  in  Connecticut  and  New  England,  except  the 
Pequots,  for  about  forty  years." 

"  The  Indians,  at  their  first  settlement,  performed 
many  acts  of  kindness  towards  them.  They  instructed 
them  in  the  maimer  of  planting  and  dressing  the  Indian 
corn.  They  carried  them  upon  their  backs  through 
rivers  and  waters ;  and,  as  occasion  required,  served 
them  instead  of  boats  and  bridges.  They  gave  them 
much  useful  information  respecting  the  country,  and 
when  the  English  or  their  children  were  lost  in  the 
woods,  and  were  in  danger  of  perishing  with  cold  or 
hunger,  they  conducted  them  to  their  wigwams,  fed 
them,  and  restored  them  to  their  families  and  parents. 
By  selling  their  corn  when  pinched  with  famine,  they 
relieved  their  distresses  and  prevented  their  perishing 
in  a  strange  land  and  uncultivated  wilderness." — Vol.  i. 
p.  57. 

How  did  the  puritans  repay  this  kindness,  or  what 
had  they  done  to  deserve  it  ?  Their  first  act  was  one 
which  was  calculated  to  create  disgust  and  awaken 
jealousy.     William  Holmes,  of  Plymouth,  carried  a 


58  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

colony  into  Connecticut,  and  settled  them  at  Windsor, 
where  he  built  the  first  house  that  was  ever  erected 
in  that  state.  A  number  of  sachems,  "  who  were  the 
original  owners  of  the  soil,  had  been  driven  from  this 
part  of  the  country  by  the  Pequots,  and  were  now 
carried  home  on  board  Holmes's  vessel.  Of  them  the 
Plymouth  people  purchased  the  land  on  which  they 
erected  their  house."  Intruders  themselves,  in  a 
strange  country,  they  came  accompanied  by  persons 
towards  whom  the  inhabitants  were  hostile,  undertook 
to  decide  who  were  the  rightful  owners  of  the  soil, 
and  purchased  from  the  party  which  was  not  in  pos- 
session. And  what  was  the  consequence  1  The 
Indians  were  offended  at  their  bringing  home  the 
original  proprietors  and  lords  of  the  country,  and  the 
Dutch," — who  had  settled  there  before  them — "  that 
they  had  settled  there,  and  were  about  to  rival  them 
in  trade,  and  in  the  possession  of  those  excellent  lands 
upon  the  river ;  they  were  obliged  therefore  to  combat 
both,  and  to  keep  a  constant  watch  upon  them." 

Notwithstanding  the  unhappy  impression  which  some 
of  the  early  acts  of  the  puritans  were  calculated  to 
produce  upon  the  minds  of  the  Indians,  the  latter  con- 
tinued to  be  their  friends.  In  the  winter  of  1635  the 
settlements  on  Connecticut .  river  were  afflicted  by 
famine.  Some  of  the  settlers,  driven  by  hunger, 
attempted  their  way,  in  this  severe  season,  through 
the  wilderness,  from  Connecticut  to  Massachusetts. 
Of  thirteen  in  one  company,  who  made  this  attempt, 
one,  in  passing  the  rivers,  fell  through  the  ice  and 
was  drowned.  "  The  other  twelve  were  ten  days  on 
their  journey,  and  would  all  have  perished  had  it  not 


-KETCHES   OF  THE  WEST.  59 

been  for  the  mjtfnnrm  of  the  Indians."  *  *  *  * 
••  The  people  who  kept  their  stations  on  the  river 
suffered  in  an  extreme  degree.  After  all  the  help 
they  were  able  to  obtain  by  hunting,  and  from  the 
Indians,  they  were  obliged  to  subsist  on  acorns,  malt, 
and  grain."  *  *  *  •  >•  Numbers  of  cattle  which  could 
not  be  got  over  the  river  before  winter,  lived  through 
without  anv  thing  but  what  they  found  in  t he  woods 
and  meadows.  They  wintered  as  well,  or  better  than 
those  which  were  brought  over." — Winthrop's  Jour- 
nal, p-  88. 

H  It  is  difficult  to  describe,  or  even  to  conceive,  the 
apprehensions  and  distresses  of  a  people  in  the  cir- 
cumstances of  our  venerable  ancestors,  during  this 
doleful  winter.  All  the  horrors  of  a  dreary  wilder- 
ness spread  themselves  around  them.  They  were 
encompassed  with  numerous,  fierce,  and  cruel  tribes, 
of  wild  and  savage  men,  who  could  have  swallowed 
up  parents  and  children  at  pleasure,  in  their  feeble 
and  distressed  condition.  They  had  neither  bread  for 
themselves  nor  children ;  neither  habitations  nor 
clothing  convenient  for  them.  Whatever  emergency 
might  happen,  they  were  cut  off,  both  by  land  and 
water,  from  any  succour  or  retreat.  What  self-denial, 
firmness  and  magnanimity,  are  necessary  for  such 
enterprises !  How  distressful,  in  the  beginning,  was 
the  condition  of  these  now  fair  and  opulent  towns  on 
Connecticut  river!" — Trumbull's  Connecticut,  vol.  i. 
p.  63. 

Yet  those  M  wild  and  savage  men,  who  could  have 
-wallowed  up  parents  and  children,91  did  not  avail 
themselves  of  this  tempting  opportunity  to  rid  their 


60  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST* 

country  of  the  intruding  whites.  On  the  contrary, 
they  proved  their  best  friends,  aided  those  who  fled, 
sustained  those  who  remained,  and  suffered  the  cattle 
of  the  strangers  to  roam  unmolested  through  the 
woods,  while  they  themselves  were  procuring  a  pre- 
carious subsistence  by  the  chase.  If  ever  kindness, 
honesty,  and  forbearance  were  practised  with  scrupu- 
lous fidelity,  in  the  face  of  strong  temptation  inciting 
to  an  opposite  course  of  conduct,  it  was  on  this  occa- 
sion. 

This  humane  deportment  on  the  part  of  the  Indians 
seems  to  have  been  considered  by  the  puritans  as 
mere  matter  of  course,  and  as  not  imposing  upon  them 
any  special  obligation  of  gratitude,  for  no  sooner  did  a 
state  of  war  occur,  than  all  sense  of  indebtedness  to 
the  Indians  appears  to  have  been  obliterated,  and  the 
whites  vied  with  their  enemies  in  the  perpetration  of 
wanton  cruelty.  Within  two  years  after  the  famine 
alluded  to  we  are  informed  by  Trumbull  that  a  party 
under  Captain  Stoughton,  "  surrounded  a  large  body 
of  Pequots  in  a  swamp.  They  took  eighty  captives. 
Thirty  were  men,  the  rest  were  women  and  children. 
The  men,  except  two  sachems,  were  killed,  but  the 
women  and  children  were  saved.  The  sachems  pro- 
mised to  conduct  the  English  to  Sassacus,  and  for 
that  purpose  were  spared  for  the  present*  The  reader 
will  doubtless  feel  some  curiosity  to  know  what  was 
done  with  the  women  and  children,  who  were  saved, 
by  those  who  had  massacred  in  cold  blood  thirty  men, 
save  two,  taken  prisoners  in  battle.  The  same  histo- 
rian thus  details  the  sequel.  "  The  Pequot  women 
and  children  who  had  been  captivated,  were  divided 


SKETCHES   OF  THE   WEST.  61 

anions  the  troops.  Some  were  carried  to  Connecticut, 
others  to  Massachusetts.  The  people  of  Massachu- 
setts 91  nt  a  number  of  the  women  and  boys  to  the 
West  Indies,  and  sold  them  as  slaves.  It  was  supposed 
that  about  seven  bundled  Pequots  were  destroyed." 
11  This  happy  event,"  concludes  the  historian,  alluding 
to  the  conclusion  of  the  war,  by  the  extermination  or 
captivity  of  so  many  of  the  Indians,  "  gave  great  joy 
to  the  colonics.  A  day  of  public  thanksgiving  was 
appointed ;  and,  in  all  the  churches  of  New  England, 
devout  and  animated  praises  were  addressed  to  Him 
who  giveth  his  people  the  victory,  and  causeth  them  to 
dwell  in  safety." 

In  the  southern  colonies,  we  tind  the  same  conse- 
quences, resulting  from  nearly  the  same  causes, 
evinced  however  in  a  somewhat  different  mode  of 
conduct.  The  English  were  kindly  received  by  the 
natives,  but  no  sustained  effort  was  systematically 
made  by  the  former  to  sustain  the  cordiality  so  vitally 
necessary  to  their  own  interests. 

Captain  John  Smith  informs  us,  that  "  the  most 
famous,  renowned,  and  ever  worthy  of  all  memory, 
for  her  courage,  learning,  judgment,  and  virtue,  Queen 
Elizabeth,  granted  her  letters  patenl  to  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh  for  the  discovering  and  planting  new  lands 
and  countries  not  actually  possessed  by  any  Christians. 
This  patentee  got  to  be  his  assistants  Sir  Richard 
Grenvell  the  valiant,  Mr.  William  Sanderson  a  great 
friend  to  all  such  noble  and  worthy  actions ;  and 
divers  other  gentlemen  and  marchants,  who  with  all 
speede  provided  two  small  barkes  well  furnished  with 
necessaries,  under  the  command  of  Captaine  Philip 

vol.  i — 6 


62  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

Amidas,  and  Captaine  Barlow.  The  27  of  Aprill 
they  set  sayle  from  the  Thames,  the  10th  of  May 
passed  the  Canaries,  and  the  10th  of  June,  the  West 
Indies,"  &c.  "  The  second  of  July  they  fell  in  with 
the  coast  of  Florida,  in  shoule  water,  where  they  felt 
a  most  delicate  sweete  smell,  though  they  saw  no  land, 
which  ere  long  they  espied,"  &c. 

Here  we  find  that  the  power  delegated  by  the 
government  to  these  adventurers,  was  simply  for  the 
discovering  and  planting  new  lands,  not  actually  pos- 
sessed by  other  Christians ;  but  although  the  rights 
of  other  Christians  are  thus  reserved,  no  regard  seems 
to  have  been  paid  to  those  of  the  aboriginal  possessors 
of  the  countries  to  be  discovered.  With  respect  to 
them  the  voyagers  were  at  full  liberty  to  act  as  their 
own  judgment  or  caprice  might  direct.  The  inhabit- 
ants received  them  with  confidence.  "  Till  the  third 
day  we  saw  not  any  of  the  people,  then  in  a  little  boat 
three  of  them  appeared,  one  of  them  went  on  shore 
to  whom  we  rowed,  and  he  attended  vs  without  any 
signe  of  feare ;  after  he  had  spoke  much  though  wee 
vnderstood  not  a  word,  of  his  owne  accord  he  came 
boldly  aboord  vs,  we  gave  him  a  shirt,  a  hat,  wine 
and  meate,  which  he  liked  well,  and  after  he  had  well 
viewed  the  barkes  and  vs,  he  went  away  in  his  owne 
boat,  and  within  a  quarter  of  a  myle  of  vs  in  halfe  an 
houre  had  loaded  his  boat  with  fish,  with  which  he 
came  againe  to  the  poynt  of  land,  and  there  divided  it 
in  two  parts,  poynting  one  part  to  the  ship,  the  other 
to  the  pinnace,  and  so  departed." — Smith's  Hist.  Virg. 
vol.  i.  p.  82. 

"  The  next  day  came  diuers  boats,  and  in  one  of  them 


SKETCHES   OF  THE   WEST.  63 

the  king's  brother,  with  forty  or  fifty  men,  proper  peo- 
ple, and  in  their  behaviour  very  ciuil,"  &c.  "  Though 
we  came  to  him  well  armed,  he  made  signs  to  vs  to 
sit  downe  without  any  show  of  feare,  stroking  his  head 
and  brest,  and  also  ours,  to  expresse  his  loue.  After 
he  had  made  a  long  speech  vnto  vs,  we  presented  him 
with  diuers  toyes,  which  he  kindly  accepted. 

"  A  dav  or  two  after  shewing  them  what  we  had, 
Granganameo  taking  most  liking  to  a  pewter  dish, 
made  a  hole  in  it,  hung  it  about  his  neck  for  a  brest- 
plate,  fur  which  he  gaue  vs  twenty  deere  skins,  worth 
twenty  crowns  ;  and  for  a  copper  kettle,  fiftie  skins, 
worth  fiftie  crownes.  Much  other  trucke  we  had, 
and  after  two  dayes  he  came  aboord,  and  did  eate  and 
drinke  with  vs  very  merrily.  Not  long  after  he 
brought  his  wife  and  children,"  &c. 

"After  that  these  women  had  been  here  with  rs, 
there  came  doune  from  all  parts  great  store  of  people, 
with  leather,  corrall,  and  diuers  kinde  of  dyes,  but 
when  Granganameo  was  present,  none  durst  trade  but 
himself,  and  them  that  wore  red  copper  on  their  heads, 
as  he  did.  Whenever  he  came  he  would  signifie  by 
so  many  fires  he  came  with  so  many  boats,  that  we 
might  knowe  his  strength.  Their  boats  but  one  great 
tree,  which  is  but  burnt  in  the  form  of  a  trough  with 
gins  and  fire,  till  it  be  as  they  would  haue  it.  For  an 
armour  he  would  haue  engaged  vs  a  bagge  of  pearle, 
but  we  refused,  as  not  regarding  it,  that  wee  might 
the  better  learn  where  it  grew.  He  was  very  iust  of 
his  promise,  for  oft  wee  trusted  him,  and  would  come 
within  his  day  to  keepe  his  word.  He  sent  vs  com- 
monly every   day   a   brace    of  bucks,   conies,  hares, 


64  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

and  fish,  sometimes  mellons,  walnuts,  cucumbers, 
pease,  and  diuers  rootes.  This  author  sayeth,  their 
corne  groweth  three  times  in  fiue  months ;  in  May 
they  so  we,  in  Iuly  reape ;  in  Iune  they  sow,  in  August 
reape." 

It  is  difficult  to  separate  the  truth  from  the  fiction 
in  these  early  histories.  There  seems  to  be  an  inhe- 
rent propensity  for  exaggeration  in  English  travellers, 
which  has  pervaded  their  works,  and  cast  a  shade 
upon  the  national  character  for  veracity,  from  the 
earliest  times,  to  the  present.  We  all  know  that  corn 
cannot  be  planted  either  in  June  or  July  and  reaped  in 
August  in  any  part  of  our  country ;  and  the  story  of 
the  "  bagge  of  pearl"  is  very  questionable ;  but  we 
may  believe  the  evidence  of  the  voyagers  as  to  the 
hospitality  with  which  they  were  received  by  the  na- 
tives, because  in  these  statements  they  all  agree,  and 
we  have  ample  reason  to  believe  that  such  was  usually 
the  deportment  of  the  aborigines  towards  the  Euro- 
peans who  first  visited  our  shores.  The  historian  of 
this  voyage  sums  the  whole  up  in  the  expression,  "  a 
more  kind  loving  people  cannot  be,"  and  adds,  "  this 
discovery  was  so  welcome  into  England  that  it  pleased 
her  maiestie  to  call  this  country  of  Wingandacoa, 
Virginia,  by  which  name  you  are  now  to  vnderstand 
how  it  was  planted,  disolued,  reuned,  and  enlarged." 

In  1585  Sir  Richard  Grenville,  "  departed  from 
Plimouth  M'ith  7  sayle,  for  Virginia."  On  his  first 
arrival,  we  are  told  "  At  Aquascogoc  the  Indians  stole 
a  siluer  cup,  wherefore  we  burnt  the  towne  and  spoyl- 
ed  their  corne,  so  returned  to  our  fleete  at  Tocokow." 
Here  we  see  how  the  hostilities  between  the  whites 


SKETCHES   OF  THE   WEST-  65 

and  the  Indians  commenced.  All  the  hospitality  of 
those  who  were  before  lauded  as  a  "  kind  loving  peo- 
ple," was  effaced  by  a  single  depredation,  committed 
most  probably  l>\  a  law  loss  individual  whose  act  would 
haw  been  disavowed  by  the  tribe;  and  in  revenge  for 
the  stealing  of  a  silver  Clip,  a  town  was  burned,  and 
the  cornfields  of  the  people  destroyed.  Dr.  William- 
son, the  historian  of  North  Carolina,  remarks,  "the 
passionate  and  rash  conduct  of  Sir  Richard  Grenville, 
<<>M  the  nation  main  a  life.  The  lair  beginning  of  a 
hopeful  colony  was  obscured,  it  was  nearly  defeated, 
by  resenting  the  loss  of  a  silver  cop." 

Another  voyager,  John  Brierton,  who  accompanied 
Capt  (Josnoll  in  1690,  to  Virginia,  speaks  of  the 
u  main  ngnes  of  loue  and  friendship,"  displayed  by  the 
Indians,  M  that  did  help  vs  to  dig,  and  carry  saxafras, 
and  doe  any  thing  they  could."  "Some  of  the  baser 
sort  would  Steele  ;  but  the  better  sort,"  he  continues, 
M  we  found  very  civill  and  iust."  He  describes  the 
women  afl  fat  and  well  favoured  ;  and  concludes,  "  The 
w  holesomeness  and  temperature  of  this  climate,  doth 
not  onelv  argue  the  people  to  be  answerable  to  this 
description,  but  also  of  a  perfect  constitution  of  body, 
actiue,  strong,  healthful,  and  very  witty,  as  the  sundry 
toyes  bv  them  so  cunningly  wrought  may  well  testifie." 

Captain  Smith,  who  visited  Virginia  subsequently, 
found  the  people  "  most  civill  to  giue  entertainment." 
He  declares  that  "  such  great  and  well  proportioned 
men  are  seldome  scene,  for  they  seemed  like  giants  to 
the  English,  yea  and  to  the  neighbours,  yet  seemed  of 
an  honest  and  simple  disposition,  with  much  adoe 
restrained  them- from  adoring  vs  as  gods."     In  ano- 

6* 


66  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

ther  place  he  says,  "  They  are  very  strong,  of  an  able 
body  and  full  of  agilitie,  able  to  endure  to  lie  in  the 
woods  vnder  a  tree  by  the  fire,  in  the  worst  of  winter, 
or  in  the  weeds  and  grasse,  in  ambuscade  in  the  som- 
mer.  They  are  inconstant  in  every  thing,  but  what 
fear  constraineth  them  to  keepe.  Craftie,  timerous, 
quicke  of  apprehension,  and  very  ingenuous.  Some 
are  of  disposition  fearful,  some  bold,  most  cautelous, 
and  savage."  "  Although  the  country  people  be  very 
barbarous,  yet  haue  they  amongst  them  such  govern- 
ment, as  that  their  magistrates  for  good  commanding, 
and  their  people  for  due  subjection  and  obeying,  excel 
many  places  that  would  be  accounted  very  civill." — 
Smith's  Hist.  vol.  i.  p.  142. 

Another  early  writer  on  the  settlement  of  Virginia, 
William  Timons,  "doctour  of  divinitie,"  remarks,  "  It 
might  well  be  thought,  a  countrie  so  faire  (as  Virginia 
is)  and  a  people  so  tractable,  would  long  ere  this  have 
been  quietly  possessed,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  adven- 
turers, and  the  eternising  of  the  memory  of  those  that 
effected  it."  We  need  not  multiply  these  proofs. 
History  abounds  in  facts  which  prove  the  position  we 
have  taken ;  and  the  intelligent  reader  will  readily  be 
able  to  draw  from  the  store  of  his  own  memory  the 
evidence  which  will  convict  the  white  man  of  being 
almost  invariably  the  aggressor  in  that  unnatural  war, 
which  has  now  been  raging  for  centuries  between  the 
civilised  and  savage  races. 

Several  fruitless  attempts  were  made  to  plant  a 
colony  in  Virginia,  before  that  enterprise  succeeded. 
"  The  emigrants,  notwithstanding  the  orders  they 
received,  had  never  been  solicitous  to  cultivate  the 


SKK  I  <   II  ES    <»F   Till:    \\  1  IS  I. 

good  will  of  the  natives,  and  had  neither  asked  permis- 
sion when  they  occupied  their  country,  nor  given  a 
price  for  their  valuable  property,  which  was  violent lv 
taken  away.  The  miseries  of  famine  were  soon  super- 
added to  the  horrors  of  massacre."  (Sec  Chalmers' 
Political  Annals,  under  the  head  of  Virginia.)  Yet 
under  all  the  disasters  Buffered  by  that  colony,  and 
with  repeated  examples  and  admonitions  to  warn  them, 
they  could  never  bring  themselves  to  entertain  suffi- 
cient respect  for  the  Indians  to  treat  them  with  civility, 
or  negotiate  with  them  in  good  faith.  Their  great 
error  was  that  they  did  not  consider  themselves  in 
their  intercourse  with  savages,  bound  by  the  same 
moral  obligations  which  would  have  governed  their 
dealings  with  civilised  men.  In  their  deportment 
they  were  loose  and  careless ;  they  threw  off  the 
ordinary  restraints  of  social  life  ;  the  decent  and  sober 
virtues  were  laid  aside  ;  and  while  as  individuals  they 
forfeited  confidence  by  their  irregularities,  they  lost  it 
as  a  body  politic,  by  weak  councils  and  bad  faith.  It 
is  to  be  recollected  that  the  colonists  were  intruders 
in  a  strange  land  ;  they  had  to  establish  a  character. 
Their  very  coming  was  suspicious.  There  was  no 
reason  why  the  natives  should  think  them  better  than 
they  seemed ;  but  many  why  they  might  suspect  them 
to  be  worse.  The  Indians  having  few  virtues  in  their 
simple  code,  practise  those  which  thev  do  profess 
with  great  punctuality  ;  among  these  are  truth,  and 
the  faithful  observance  of  treaties ;  and  they  could  not 
but  lightly  esteem  those  who  openly  set  at  defiance  all 
that  they  themselves  hold  sacred.  That  no  attempt 
was  made  to  convert  or  civilise  the  aborigines,  nor 
any  liberal  feeling  indulged  towards  them,  will  not  be 


68 


SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 


thought  surprising,  when  we  find  the  colonial  governor 
of  Virginia,  so  late  as  the  year  1760,  using  the  fol- 
lowing language  in  a  letter  to  his  government : — "  I 
thank  God  there  are  no  free  schools,  nor  printing,  and 
I  hope  we  shall  not  have  them  for  these  hundred  years. 
For  learning  has  brought  disobedience,  heresy,  and 
sects  into  the  world,  and  printing  has  divulged  them, 
and  libels  against  the  government.  God  keep  us  from 
both  !"  Such  were  the  persons  by  whom  the  first 
impression  of  our  character  was  made  upon  the  Indian 
mind  ! 

We  mention  these  facts  for  the  purpose  of  showing 
that  civilised  nations  have  never  yet  made  a  fair  expe- 
riment of  the  practicability  of  christianising  the  savage 
tribes ;  for  although  efforts  of  this  kind  have  been 
attempted  upon  a  limited  scale,  they  have  every  where 
been  preceded  and  neutralised  by  injuries  and  insults 
of  so  flagitious  a  character,  as  to  induce  those  upon 
whom  they  were  perpetrated,  to  look  with  jealousy 
upon  all  subsequent  advances,  however  apparently 
benevolent,  from  the  same  quarter.  We  do  not  mean 
to  infer  that  the  breach  is  so  wide  that  it  can  never 
be  repaired ;  but  merely  to  refute  those  who  tell  us 
that  the  Indians  cannot  be  civilised,  by  showing  that 
their  assertions  are  not  supported  by  evidence.  Before 
we  could  admit  a  conclusion  which  would  present  so 
strange  a  paradox  in  the  philosophy  of  the  human 
mind,  it  must  be  shown  that  civilisation  has  been  pre- 
sented to  them  in  an  amiable  aspect,  that  it  has  been 
offered  upon  terms  which  they  could  accept  with  credit 
and  advantage,  and  that  the  invitation  has  been  given 
by  those  in  whose  professions  they  had  some  reason 
to  place  confidence. 


SKETCHES   OF  Till:    Wl-l.  69 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Conduct  of  William  Pcnn  and  his  followers  towards  the  Indians 
— Amicable  Intercourse  between  the  French  and  Indians  in 
Illinois. 

In  order  to  make  out  the  case  which  we  have  pro- 
posed, it  is  necessary  to  show  not  only  that  the  whites 
have  abused  the  hospitality,  trampled  on  the  rights, 
and  exasperated  the  feelings  of  the  Indians,  without 
any  just  provocation,  but  that  a  contrary  course  of 
policy  would  have  been  practicable,  as  well  as  expe- 
dient. If  the  Indians  are  constitutionally  inaccessible 
to  the  approaches  of  kindness, — if  they  are  wholly 
intractable — if  they  can  form  no  just  appreciation  of  the 
conduct  of  other  men,  and  are  incapable  of  gratitude 
— the  question  is  at  rest.  But  we  apprehend  that  the 
Indians  might  have  been  conciliated  by  kindness,  just 
as  easily  as  they  were  provoked  by  violence  ;  and  that 
the  foundations  of  mutual  esteem  and  confidence  might 
have  been  laid  as  deep,  and  as  broad,  and  have  been 
reared  up  with  a  solidity  as  durable,  as  those  of  that 
stupendous  fabric  of  revenge,  hatred,  and  deception 
which  has  grown  up  and  is  now  witnessed  with  emo- 
tions of  dismay  and  sorrow  by  all  good  men> 

We  think  we  can  prove  that  we  have  rightly  esti- 
mated the  conduct  of  emfoed  nations,  and  its  influ- 
ence on  the  savage  tribes,  in  the  instances  which  we 
have  quoted,  by  referring  to  two  others  in  which  a 


70 


SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 


contrary  policy  was  pursued,  and  in  both  of  which  the 
results  justify  our  position.  The  first  is  the  case  of 
William  Penn,  whose  great  wisdom  and  benevolence 
have  never,  in  our  opinion,  been  estimated  as  highly 
as  they  deserve,  and  who,  however  highly  he  is  ap- 
preciated, has  never  yet  received  the  full  amount  of 
applause  which  is  his  due,  as  a  statesman  and  philan- 
thropist. In  uniting  these  characters,  and  acting 
practically  upon  the  broad  principles  of  justice,  he  was 
in  advance  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived,  and  was 
neither  understood  nor  imitated.  Even  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, his  influence  expired,  and  his  example  was  for- 
gotten, as  soon  as  he  ceased  to  be  himself  the  moving 
agent  of  that  system  which  his  successors  either  did 
not  comprehend,  or  had  not  sufficient  virtue  to  ap- 
prove. 

This  enlightened  man  in  his  public  conduct  consult 
ed  his  conscience,  his  sense  of  right  and  wrong,  and 
his  knowledge  of  human  nature.  He  believed  that 
the  Indians  had  souls.  He  treated  them  individually 
as  human  beings,  as  men,  as  friends  ;  and  negotiated 
with  their  tribes  as  with  independent,  dignified,  and 
responsible  public  bodies,  trusting  implicitly  in  their 
honour  and  pledging  in  sincerity  his  own.  He  was  a 
man  of  enlarged  views,  whose  mind  was  above  the 
petty  artifices  of  diplomacy,  which  were  considered 
justifiable  by  the  statesmen  of  his  day.  He  not  only 
knew  that  such  arts  were  dishonest,  and  condemned 
them  as  against  conscience,  but  he  also  saw  clearly 
that  honesty  was  the  best  policy.  "  His  great  mind 
was  uniformly  influenced  in  his  intercourse  with  the 
aborigines  by  those  immutable  principles  of  justice, 


skkk  BOH  OF   ill  i :  wr>r.  71 

which  every  where,  and  for  all  purposes,  must  be 
regarded  as  fundamental,  if  human  exertions  are  to  be 
crowned  with  noble  and  permanent  results.  (  Vaux's 
Anniversary  Discourse.)  In  the  13th,  14th,  and  15th 
sections  of  the  constitution  of  his  colony,  it  was  pro- 
vided, as  follows:  "  No  man  shall,  by  any  ways  or 
means,  in  word  or  deed,  affront  or  wrong  an  Indian, 
but  he  shall  incur  the  same  [«  n.tlly  of  the  law  as  if  he 
had  committed  it  against  his  fellow  planter,  and  if  any 
Indian  shall  abuse,  in  word  or  deed,  any  planter  of 
the  province,  he  shall  not  be  his  own  judge  upon  the 
Indian,  but  he  shall  make  his  complaint  to  the 
governor,  or  some  inferior  magistrate  near  him,  who 
shall,  to  the  utmost  of  his  power,  take  care  with  the 
kin"  of  the  said  Indian,  that  all  reasonable  satisfaction 
be  made  to  the  injured  planter.  All  differences  be- 
tween the  planters  and  the  natives  shall  also  be  ended 
by  twelve  men;  that  is,  six  planters,  and  six  natives; 
that  so  we  may  live  friendly  together  as  much  as  in 
us  lieth,  preventing  all  occasions  of  heart-burnings 
and  mischiefs,"  and  that  "  the  Indians  shall  have 
liberty  to  do  all  things  relative  to  improvement  of 
their  ground,  and  providing  sustenance  for  their  fami- 
lies, that  any  of  the  planters  shall  enjoy."  v-. 

In  these  simple  articles  we  find  the  very  essence  of 
all  good  government  :  equality  of  'ight*.  Instead  of 
making  one  rule  of  action  for  the  whites  and  another 
for  the  Indians,  the  same  mode  and  measure  of  justice 
is  prescribed  to  both  ;  and  while  his  strict  adherence 
to  the  great  principles  of  civil  and  religious  freedom, 
entitle  the  virtuous  Penn  to  the  highest  place  as  a 
lawgiver  and  benefactor  of  mankind,  it  justly  earned 


72  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

for  him  from  the  Indians  especially,  the  affectionate 
title  by  which  they  always  spoke  of  him  :  "  their  great 
and  good  Onas."  The  result  was,  that  so  long  as 
Pennsylvania  remained  under  the  immediate  govern- 
ment of  its  founder,  the  most  amicable  relations  were 
maintained  with  the  natives.  His  scheme  of  govern- 
ment embraced  no  military  arm  ;  neither  troops,  forts, 
nor  an  armed  peasantry.  The  doctrine  of  keeping 
peace  by  being  prepared  for  war,  entered  not  into  his 
system ;  his  maxim  was  to  avoid  "  all  occasions  of 
heart  burnings  and  mischiefs,"  and  to  retain  the 
friendship  of  his  neighbours  by  never  appearing  to 
doubt  it.  The  Indians,  savage  as  they  are  represented 
to  be,  and  as  indeed  they  are,  were  awed  and  won  by 
a  policy  so  just  and  pacific ;  and  the  Quakers  had  no 
Indian  wars.  The  horrors  of  the  firebrand,  and  the 
tomahawk,  of  which  other  colonists  had  such  dreadful 
experience,  were  unknown  to  them,  and  they  cultivated 
their  farms  in  peace,  with  no  other  armour  than  the 
powerful  name  of  Penn,  and  the  inoffensiveness  of 
their  own  lives.  In  Watson's  "  Account  of  Bucking- 
ham and  Solebury,"  (in  Pennsylvania,)  published  in 
the  Memoirs  of  the  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania, 
we  find  the  following  striking  remarks  : — "  In  1690, 
there  were  many  settlements  of  Indians  in  these  town- 
ships." *  *  #  *  "  Tradition  reports  that  they 
were  kind  neighbours,  supplying  the  white  people 
with  meat,  and  sometimes  with  beans  and  other  vege- 
tables ;  which  they  did  in  perfect  charity,  bringing 
presents  to  their  houses,  and  refusing  pay.  Their 
children  were  sociable  and  fond  of  play.  A  harmony 
arose  out  of  their  mutual  intercourse  and  dependence. 


SKETCHES   OF  THE   WEST.  7'1 

Native  simplicity  reigned,  in  its  greatest  extent*  The 
difference  between  the  families  of  the  white  man  and 
the  [ndian,  in  many  respects,  was  n<»t  great — when  to 
live  was  the  greatest  hope,  and  to  enjoy  a  bare  sufii- 
eiencj  the  greatest  luxury."  (Vol  i.  part  2,  p.  298.) 
This  passage  requires  no  comment  ;  bo  strongly  Mer- 
it contrast  with  the  accounts  of  tin-  other  new  settle- 
ments,  snd  so  fully  does  it  display  the  fruits  of  a  pru- 
dent and  equitable  system  of  civil  administration. 

But  we  do  not  rest  our  case  here.  There  are  mam 
facts  connected  with  the  settlements  upon  the  Dela- 
ware river,  which  are  extremely  interesting.  The 
Swedes,  who  were  the  first  occupants,  date  back  as  far 
as  the  year  1631,  and  remained  in  possession  of  a 
number  of  places,  for  something  like  forty  years,  pre- 
vious to  the  arrival  of  Penn.  That  they  lived  in  har* 
mony  with  the  Indians  is  obvious  from  two  facts, 
which  must  be  received  as  the  best  evidence  in  the 
absence  of  all  positive  proof  on  the  subject ;  the  one  is 
the  fact  that  they  did  exist  and  prosper,  and  were  not 
exterminated,  and  the  other  that  Penn  found  the 
Indians  friendly,  notwithstanding  their  long  intercourse 
with  the  Swedes.  Had  the  conduct  of  the  latter  been 
oppressive,  or  their  intercourse  with  the  savages 
interrupted  by  hostilities,  Penn  would  not  have  been 
received  with  the  cordiality  and  confidence  which 
marked  his  first  interviews  with  the  tribes,  and  cha« 
racterised  all  his  relations  with  them. 

It  i-  a  singular  circumstance  that   the  quakers   had 

so  much  confidence  in  their  own  system  of  peace  and 

forbea ranee,  that  they  did  not  erect  a  fort,  nor  organ* 

my  militia  for  their  defence,  but  went  on  quietl) 

VOL.     I 7 


74  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

building,  clearing  land,  farming,  and  trading,  not  only 
without  actual  molestation  from  the  Indians,  but  with- 
out any  apprehension  of  danger.     In  the  journals  and 
fragments  of  history  handed  down  to  us,  from  these 
early   settlers,   we   read    affecting    accounts   of  their 
sufferings  from  sickness,  poverty,  hunger,  exposure — 
from  every  cause  which  ordinarily  afflicts  the  helpless 
infancy  of  a  colony,  except  war — but  we  read  of  no 
wars,  no  rumours  of  war.     Of  the  Indians  but  little  is 
said.     They  are  only  mentioned  incidentally,  and  then 
always  with  kindness.     "  In  those  times,"  says  one  of 
their  historians,  "  the  Indians  and  Swedes  were  kind 
and  active  to  bring  in,  and  vend  at  moderate  prices, 
proper  articles  of  subsistence."     An  instance  is  told 
of  a  lady,  Mrs.  Chandler,  who  arrived  at  Philadelphia 
with  eight  or  nine  children,  having  lost  her  husband 
on  the  voyage  out.     She  was  lodged  in  a  cave  on  the 
bank  of  the  river,  and  being  perfectly  destitute,  was  a 
subject    of  general    compassion.      The    people    were 
kind  to  them,  and  none  more  so  than  the  Indians,  who 
frequently   brought  them   food.     "  In  future   years," 
says  our  authority,  "  when  the  children  grew  up,  they 
always  remembered  the  kind  Indians,  and  took  many 
opportunities  of  befriending  them  and  their  families  in 
return."     An  old  lady,  whose  recollections  have  been 
recorded  by  one  of  her  descendants,  was  present  at 
one  of  Penn's  first  interviews  with  the  "  Indians  and 
Swedes" — for  she  names  them  together,  as  if  they 
acted  in  concert,  or  at  least  in  harmony.       "  They 
(the  Indians  and  Swedes)   met  him   at  or  near  the 
present   Philadelphia.      The  Indians,  as  well  as  the 
whites,  had  severally  prepared  the  best  entertainment 


SKETCHES   OF  THE   WEST.  75 

the  place  and  circumstances  could  admit.  William 
Peon  made  himself  endeared  to  the  Indians  by  his 
marked  condescension  and  acquiescence  in  their  wishes. 
He  walked  with  them,  sat  with  them  on  the  ground, 
and  ate  with  them  of  their  roasted  acorns  and  homany. 
At  tlii—  they  expressed  great  delight,  and  some  began 
to  show  how  they  could  hop  and  jump:  at  which  exhi- 
bition. William  Perm,  to  cap  the  climax,  sprang  up 
and  beat  them  all  !" 

The  date  of  Peon's  patent  was  in  1681,  and  he 
governed  Pennsylvania  until  1712.  In  1744,  a  peti- 
tion was  addressed  by  the  city  council  of  Philadelphia 
to  the  king,  "Setting  forth  the  defenceless  state  of 
said  city,  and  requesting  his  majesty  to  take  the  de- 
fenceless condition  of  the  inhabitants  into  consideration, 
and  afford  them  such  relief  as  his  majesty  shall  think 
fit."  This  is  the  first  record  that  we  find,  in  which 
allusion  is  made  to  military  defences  in  that  colony. 

The  other  instance  which  we  shall  adduce,  we  deem 
to  be  particularly  apposite,  as  it  occurred  at  the  same 
period,  under  similar  circumstances,  and  among  a  peo- 
ple the  very  reverse  of  the  quakers  in  character,  and 
who  had  not  the  slightest  communication  or  connec- 
tion with  them.  The  French  settled  at  Kaskaskia 
previous  to  the  year  1700.  We  cannot  fix  the  precise 
date  ;  but  there  are  deeds  now  on  record  in  the  public 
offices  at  that  place,  which  bear  date  in  1712,  and  it 
is  evident  that  several  years  must  have  elapsed  from 
the  first  settling  of  the  colony,  before  regular  trans- 
fers of  real  estate  could  take  place,  and  before  there 
could  have  been  officers  authorised  to  authenticate 
such  proceedings.     It  is  the  general  understanding  of 


76  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

the  old  French  settlers,  and  we  suppose  the  fact  to  be 
so,  that  Philadelphia,  Detroit,  and  Kaskaskia,  were 
settled  about  the  same  time.  The  French  in  Illinois 
lived  upon  the  most  amicable  terms  with  the  Indians. 
Like  the  quakers,  they  kept  up  a  mutual  interchange 
of  friendly  offices,  treating  them  with  kindness  and 
equity,  and  dealing  with  them  upon  terms  of  perfect 
equality.  They  even  intermarried  with  them — which 
the  quakers  could  not  do,  without  being  turned  out  of 
meeting — and  showed  them  in  various  ways  that  they 
considered  them  as  fellow  creatures,  having  a  parity 
of  interests,  principles,  and  feelings  with  themselves. 
"  Their  nearest  civilised  neighbours  were  the  English 
on  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  distant  a  thousand  miles, 
from  whom  they  were  separated  by  a  barrier  then 
insurmountable,  and  with  whom  they  had  no  more 
intercourse  than  with  the  Chinese."  They  had  five 
villages  on  the  Mississippi ;  Kaskaskia,  Prairie  du 
Rocher,  Saint  Philippe,  Fort  Chartres,  and  Cahokia. 
Fort  Chartres  was  a  very  strong  fortification,  and 
might  have  protected  the  village  of  the  same  name 
adjacent  to  it ;  there  was  a  fort  at  Kaskaskia, — but  it 
was  small,  and  being  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river 
from  the  town,  could  have  afforded  little  protection  to 
the  latter  from  an  attack  of  the  Indians  ;  the  only  other 
fortress  was  at  Cahokia,  and  is  described  by  an  early 
writer  as  "  no  way  distinguished  except  by  being  the 
meanest  log  house  in  the  town."  The  villages  of 
Prairie  du  Rocher  and  Saint  Philippe  had  no  military 
defences.  Yet  we  do  not  hear  of  burnings  and  scalp- 
ings  among  the  early  settlers  of  that  region.  Now 
and   then  an  affray  occurred  between  a  Frenchman 


KETCHES  OF  THE  WEST.  77 

;iik1  an  Indian,  and  occasionally  a  lift  Was  l<xt  :  but 
these  were  precisely  the  kind  of  exceptions  which 
prove  the  truth  of  a  general  rule  ;  for  such  accidents 
must  have  been  the  result  of  departures  by  individual- 
from  those  principles  of  amity  which  were  observed 
by  the  respective  communities  to  which  they  belonged. 
The  French  were  expert  in  the  use  of  fire  arms,  they 
reamed  far  and  wide  into  the  Indian  country,  and  it 
\\<>wld  have  been  a  strange  anomaly  in  the  history  of 
warriors  and  hunters,  had  no  personal  conflicts  ensued. 
But  these  affairs  did  not  disturb  the  general  harmony. 
The  Indians  even  suffered  themselves  to  be  baptised  ; 
and  at  one  time  a  large  portion  of  the  Kaskaskia  tribe 
professed  the  Roman  Catholic  faith. 

The  results  are  known  to  every  reader  of  Ameri- 
can  history*  No  sooner  did  Penn  cease  to  rule  in 
Pennsylvania  than  that  colony  he  nan  to  be  desolated 
bv  Indian  wars.  With  him  ceased  all  good  faith  with 
the  tribes.  His  successors  had  neither  his  talents,  his 
honesty,  nor  his  firmness;  they  followed  none  of  his 
precepts,  nor  kept  any  of  his  engagements.  Rum  and 
gunpowder  were  freely  used  in  the  colony,  and  sold 
to  the  Indians.  The  planters  began  to  arm  in  self- 
defence.  Occasions  of  offence  were  frequent,  and  no 
effort  was  made  to  prevent  them.  The  "  great  and  good 
Onas"  was  no  longer  there  to  pour  out  his  kind  spirit, 
like  oil,  upon  the  waves  of  human  passion.  Hostilities 
ensued;  the  frontiers  of  Pennsylvania  suffered  all  the 
horrors  of  border  war,  and  the  sentiment  expressed  by 
William  Penn  in  1G*2,  proved  to  be  prophetic:  "If 
my  heirs  do  not  keep  to  God,  in  justice,  mercy,  equity. 

7- 


76  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

and  fear  of  the  Lord,  they  will  lose  all,  and  desolation 
will  follow." 

The  same  result  occurred  on  the  Mississippi,  in 
Illinois.  The  amiable  French  lived  in  peace  with  the 
Indians  for  a  whole  century ;  but  as  soon  as  the 
"  Long  Knives"  began  to  emigrate  to  the  country, 
hostilities  commenced,  and  continued  until  the  whites 
gained  the  complete  mastery. 

In  order  to  give  full  weight  to  these  facts,  and  to 
our  argument,  it  must  be  recollected  that  national 
prejudices  are  most  deeply  rooted  and  most  lasting 
among  unenlightened  people.  Those  simple  and  un- 
lettered tribes  whose  only  occupations  are  war  and 
hunting,  hand  down  their  traditions  with  singular 
fidelity  from  generation  to  generation.  The  only 
mental  culture  which  the  children  receive,  consists  in 
repeating  to  them  the  adventures  of  their  fathers,  and 
the  infant  mind  is  thus  indelibly  impressed  with  all 
the  predilections  and  antipathies  of  the  parent ;  while 
their  traditions  are  spread  from  tribe  to  tribe,  by  the 
historical  tales  and  songs,  repeated  at  their  great 
councils.  Among  them,  too,  revenge  is  a  hallowed 
principle,  sucked  in  with  the  mother's  milk,  and 
justified  by  their  code  of  honour,  and  the  precepts  of 
their  religion ;  the  wound  inflicted  upon  the  father 
rankles  in  the  bosom  of  the  child,  and  is  only  healed 
when  recompense  is  made,  or  retaliation  inflicted. 
We  infer,  then,  that  we  owe  the  unhappy  state  of 
feeling  which  exists  between  the  Indians  and  our- 
selves, to  injuries  inflicted  on  them  and  prejudices 
excited,  by  the  discoverers  and  first  colonists  ;  and  to 
the  want  of  sincere,  judicious,  and  patient  exertions 
for  reconciliation  on  our  part. 


SKETCHES   OF  THE   WEST.  79 


CHAPTER  V. 

System  of  intercourse  with  the  Indians  established  by  the  British 
— Giving  presents — Agents — System  adopted  by  the  American 
government — Interference  by  English  agents. 

We  turn  now  to  a  later  period,  and  to  another 
branch  of  our  subject,  for  the  purpose  of  showing  that 
the  Indian  mind,  already  poisoned  against  us,  has 
been  corrupted  by  the  whites  by  the  inculcation  of 
bad  principles  and  wrong  views  ;  and  that  the  honest 
feelings  of  resentment  at  first  indulged,  have,  by  our 
agency,  become  mercenary  and  vindictive. 

At  a  very  early  period,  the  English  and  French 
colonists  were  engaged  in  wars  with  each  other,  and 
both  parties  endeavoured  to  conciliate  the  aborigines, 
and  to  secure  their  co-operation  by  making  them  pre- 
sents. We  have  no  evidence,  that  previous  to  our 
negotiations  with  the  tribes,  they  were  in  the  habit  of 
making  valuable  presents  to  each  other,  upon  such 
occasions.  Among  the  oriental  nations,  from  whom 
they  are  supposed  by  some  to  be  descended,  gifts  of 
great  value  are  made  upon  all  solemn  public  conven- 
tions, legal  decisions  are  bought  with  a  price,  and 
offices  and  honours  put  to  sale.  Something  of  the 
same  kind  prevailed  in  South  America,  where  the 
natives  were  wealthy ;  but  the  North  American 
Indians  were  poor,  and  we  suspect  that  among  them 
presents  were  only  made  at  their  treaties  in  token  of 


80  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

sincerity,  and  without  any  regard  to  the  value  of  the 
offering.  We  intend  to  apply  this  observation,  of 
course,  to  cases  where  the  parties  treated  upon  terms 
of  perfect  equality  ;  for  among  all  nations,  civilised 
and  savage,  the  principles  of  reciprocity  are  some- 
times trampled  under  foot,  and  a  subdued  party 
usually  purchases  peace.  It  is  also  true,  that  treaties 
have  always  been  least  faithfully  observed,  among  those 
nations  where  custom  requires  the  weaker  party  to 
purchase  the  friendship  of  the  stronger  by  large 
bribes;  because  the  faith  that  is  bought  and  sold  is 
never  sincere ;  one  party  is  governed  by  fear,  the 
other  by  rapacity,  and  while  the  one  is  always  seek- 
ing pretences  to  impose  new  exactions,  the  other 
is  ever  watching  to  obtain  revenge  or  indemnity. 
Thus  it  was  with  us  and  our  Indian  neighbours. 
The  presents  which  at  first  were  voluntarily  given, 
and  received  with  gratitude,  soon  became  periodical, 
and  began  at  last  to  be  demanded  as  of  right.  The 
Indians  acted  precisely  as  the  pirates  of  the  Barbary 
States  have  always  done  under  similar  circumstances. 
They  saw  their  situation  enabled  them  to  harass  the 
whites,  and  that  the  latter  were  always  willing  to  avert 
their  hostility  by  the  payment  of  a  valuable  considera- 
tion. Implements  of  war,  and  articles  of  luxury, 
were  introduced  among  them,  to  which  they  had 
previously  been  strangers ;  new  wants  were  created, 
without  the  simultaneous  creation  of  any  means  to 
supply  them ;  every  treaty  with  their  wealthy  neigh- 
bours brought  in  fresh  stores  of  those  foreign  products, 
which  their  own  country  did  not  afford,  which  their 
own  industry  could  not  produce,  and  which  they  could 


SKI   l  I  !l  ■   "I     l  ll  I    u  I  ~  l  -1 

not  procure  in  sufficient  abundance,  either  l>\  traffic 
or  1>\  plunder j  and  it  became  clearly  their  interest  to 
multiply  the  occasions  of  rach  profitable  diplomacy. 
Thej  therefore  made  war  arbenever  tli<\  needed  sup- 
plies; whenever  cupiditj  or  famine  goaded  the  nation, 
or  ambition  stimulated  s  ruling  chief;  and  they  made 
peace  whenever  a  sufficient  inducement  aras  tendered 
to  tlu-ir  acceptance.  They  do  longer  fought  for  fame 
or  conquest,  to  redress  irrong,  or  retrieve  honour, 
and  the  military  virtues  that  Bsualrj  attend  those  irho 
are  impelled  into  action  by  those  noble  impulses, 
entire!)  forsook  them;  are  had  made  them  banditti; 

and  they  made  war  to  gel  money,  ruin,  guns,  and 
gunpowder.  The  pernicious  system  of  <_nvin<j  them 
regular  supplies  of  arms,  ammunition,  clothing,  and 
provisions,  became  firmly  established,  and  drew  after 
it  a  train  of  <  *  %  i  1  consequences:  injury  to  us,  and 
misery  to  the  wretched  objects  of  our  misplaced 
bounty.  Furnished  with  clothing  ami  provisions, 
they  became  less  provident;  supplied  with  munitions 
of  war,  their  propensity  for  mischief  was  quickened 
l»\  the  increased  means  of  it-  gratification;  the  pas- 
-ion  of  avarice  was  awakened,  and  habits  of  extortion 
were  cherished,  by  the  continual  experience  of  their 
power  to  enforce  tin-  payment  of  tribute. 

Th<-  system  of  making  presents  to  the  tribes,  and 
enlisting  them  in  our  quarrels,  bad  a-  it  was,  waa 
mnoeent  m  comparison  with  the  abuses  that  unavoid- 
ably gre^i  out  of  it.  The  employment  of  agents 
necessaril}  attended  these  negotiations,  and  the  per- 
sons so  i  agaged  irere  exposed  to  constant  temptations 
to  act  corruptly,  while  thej  were  exempt  from  the 


82  SKETCHES    OF    THE    WEST. 

ordinary  restraints,  and  the  usual  motives,  which  en- 
sure the  fidelity  of  public  agents.  They  acted  at 
distant  points,  beyond  the  reach  of  the  observation  of 
their  superiors,  where'  neither  instruction  nor  reproof 
could  often  reach  them,  and  where  a  great  deal  was 
necessarily  left  to  their  discretion.  They  were  sent 
to  an  illiterate  people,  who  had  no  channel  through 
which  to  report  their  misconduct ;  and  the  eye  of 
detection  could  not  penetrate  into  the  distant  forests 
which  formed  the  scene  of  their  operations.  If  faith- 
ful, they  had  little  hope  of  being  rewarded  for  that 
which  their  own  government  could  not  know ;  and 
had  therefore  strong  temptation  to  make  their  emolu- 
ment out  of  the  power  and  the  money  which  they 
were  entrusted  to  wield.  In  the  back  woods  they 
could  peculate  or  intrigue,  extort  or  oppress,  with 
impunity ;  and  it  is  known  only  to  Providence  how 
often  the  tomahawk  has  been  raised  to  gratify  the 
bad  passions  of  an  agent,  to  revenge  his  quarrel,  to 
feed  his  avarice,  or  to  raise  his  importance  by  en- 
abling him  to  become  the  mediator  of  a  peace. 

During  the  revolutionary  war,  it  is  well  known, 
that  Great  Britain  adopted  the  sanguinary  policy  of 
inciting  the  Indian  tribes  to  take  up  the  hatchet 
against  the  colonies.  They  now  made  war  as  the 
mercenary  auxiliaries  of  a  powerful  nation ;  and  while 
their  native  audacity  was  increased  by  the  hope  of 
reward,  the  prejudices  of  the  Americans  against  them 
were  greatly  enhanced,  as  they  who  are  hired  to  fight 
in  the  quarrel  of  another,  always  excite  more  aversion 
than  the  principal  party  who  does  battle  in  his  own 
cause.     Emissaries  were  now  planted  along  the  whole 


-K\:i<  KM    or   Tin:    WM  i  ,  O 

frontier,  the  chiefs  strutted  m  scarlet  coats,  and 
British  gold  and  military  titles  were  lavished  anions 
the  tribes.  The  few  restraints  which  prudence  and 
decency  had  heretofore  suggested  were  now  forgotten; 
nun  was  dealt  <»nt  without  stint,  and  it  was  no  longer 
considered  necessary  to  inculcate  the  observance  of 
humanity,  temperance,  or  any  Christian  virtue*  On 
the  contrary,  the  savage  appetite  for  blood  was  sharp- 
ened by  artful  devices;  and  there  are  many  instances 
on  record,  in  which  the  English  emissaries  presided 
at  the  torturing  of  prisoners,  and  far  outstripped  their 
red  allies,  in  the  demoniac  arts  of  vengeance.  The 
Indians  were  now  literally  turned  loose,  and  continual 
exertions  were  used  to  awaken  their  jealousy  and 
hatred  against  the  colonies.  The  success  of  these 
intrigues  is  too  well  attested  by  the  history  of  our 
struggle  for  independence. 

Such  is  a  very  brief  outline  of  the  policy  pursued 
towards  the  Indians  before  the  organisation  of  our 
government.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  whites  have 
seldom  treated  them  as  independent  and  rational  men. 
Sometimes  they  were  shot  down  in  mere  sport,  like 
brutes,  sometimes  made  slaves,  sometimes  hired  as 
bravoes,  and  often  like  spoiled  children  indulged  to 
their  hurt,  and  tempted  by  bad  counsel  and  evil  exam- 
ple into  demoralising  practices.  In  a  few  instances 
only — perhaps  in  none  other  than  the  two  we  have 
named — have  any  sustained  attempts  been  made  to 
conciliate  them  by  kindness.  Our  other  relations 
with  them  have  been  of  a  character  so  repulsive,  as 
must  naturally  have  excited  in  them  deep-rooted  pre- 
judices against  civilised  nations,  and  especially  against 


84  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

the  people  of  the  United  States,  against  whom  they 
have  been  bribed  into  such  extensive  hostilities. 

To  these  national  injuries,  were  added  wrongs  of  a 
private  and  personal,  but  not  less  aggravating  charac- 
ter. Too  often  have  our  citizens  perpetrated,  in  the 
deep  recesses  of  the  forest,  crimes,  from  which,  had 
they  been  suggested  to  the  same  persons  when  living 
in  civilised  society,  surrounded  by  the  strong  restraints 
of  law,  and  by  the  full  blaze  of  a  pure  public  senti- 
ment, they  would  have  shrunk  with  horror.  Too 
often  has  the  trader  been  seen,  led  on  by  the  over- 
mastering lust  for  money,  violating  every  principle  of 
honour,  smothering  all  the  noble  impulses  of  his  na- 
ture, trampling  on  the  rites  of  hospitality,  rending 
asunder  the  most  sacred  ties,  and  breaking  down 
every  barrier  to  accomplish  the  foul  purpose  of  a 
nefarious  traffic.  The  affecting  story  of  Incle  and 
Yarico  was  not  a  fiction.  It  has  been  acted  over  and 
over  again  in  our  forests  with  every  shocking  varia- 
tion of  ingenious  cruelty.  It  is  there  no  unfrequent 
occurrence,  for  the  most  beautiful,  the  most  nobly 
gifted,  the  highest  born  maid  of  a  powerful  tribe,  to 
give  her  hand  in  marriage,  to  some  attractive  stranger; 
yielding  up  her  affections  with  that  implicit  confidence, 
that  all-absorbing  love,  that  heroic  self-devotion,  which 
is  every  where  the  attribute  of  woman.  Impelled  by 
the  purest  and  most  disinterested  of  human  passions, 
she  sacrifices  for  that  nameless  and  houseless  stranger, 
every  thing  that  nature  and  custom  had  rendered  most 
dear.  For  him  she  quits  her  parental  roof,  and  severs 
every  tie  that  binds  her  to  country  or  to  kindred.  To 
please  his  taste   she   has  thrown  aside  the  graceful 


SKI  1 1  B  Efl  OF  Tin:  VI  kst.  85 

ornaments  of  her  tribe,  and  mwnimftd  the  unnatural 
apparel  of  ■  foreign  and  detested  people.     Her  raven 
Locks  are  no  longer  braided  upon  ber  shoulders;  she 
do  Longer  chases  the  deer,  or  guides  her  light  ca 
<>\r\-  the  irave  \  and  ber  dark  eye  flashes  do  more  with 
tin-  pride  of  consci  ma  beauty  as  the  warriors  of  her 
tribe  pass  before  her,  for  in  their  eyeeshe  Is  degraded, 
apostatised,  and  become  almost  a  traitress.     She  has 
nobly   sacrificed  upon  the  altar  of  love,  every  preju- 
dice, ever]  predilection,  every  tie  that  bound  her  to 
the  friends  and  the  protectors  «>r  her  youth.     But  still 
she  is  supremely  happy  in  the   po session  of  that  one 
object  around  whom  all  her  affections  are  entwined. 
In  the  seclusion  of  her  cottage,  the  cheerful  perform- 
ance of  every  domestic  duty,  in  advancing  the  interests 
of  her  husband   by  conciliating  in  his  favour  all  the 
influence  of  her  kindred,  and  the  Lingering  affection  of 
her  tribe,  and  protecting  him  from  danger  at  every 
hazard,  her  days  exhibit  a  continued  scene  of  self-de- 
votion.    Her  dream  of  happiness  is  soon  and  fatally 
►lved.      Her  lover  lias  accomplished  his  commer- 
cial purposes,  and  she  is  abandoned  to  despair,  and  to 
pace.     Although  the  whole  story  of  her  affection 
iia-  exhibited  that  loveliness  of  character,  that  purity 
and  Qobleness  of  mind,  which  in  civilised  society  raises 
a   superior  woman  above  her  species,  and  gives  her 
an  almost  unlimited  influence  within  the  sphere  of  her 
attraction — yet,  she  is  a  savage — a  poor,  untaught, 
deluded  Indian — and  she  is  abandoned  by  her  civilised 
husband,    with    the    same    apathy,    that    a    worn    out 
domestic   animal   is   turned   loose   to  perish  upon  the 
common. 
vol.  i — 8 


86  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST* 

And  what  becomes  of  this  deserted  woman?    Think 
you  that  she  has  never  told  her  sorrow,  but  pined 
away  in  silence,  and  sunk  to  a  premature  grave  ;  that 
the  village  maids  have  strewed  her  tomb  with  flowers, 
and  that  the  legends  of  the  border  have  added  her 
name  to  the  long  list  of  the  victims  of  blighted  affec- 
tion? Far  from  it.     When  she  loved,  she  had  all  the 
woman's  heart ;  but  she  is  the  daughter  of  a  race  with 
whom  revenge  is  esteemed  a  virtue.      She   has  not 
been  reared  in  luxury  ;  she  has  a  vigour  of  mind  and 
body  which  enables  her  to  survive  the  wreck  of  her 
hopes,  and  the  withering  of  her  affections.     She  lives 
a  terrific  monument  of  perverted  human  passion  ;  and 
she  who  had  practised  so  gracefully  the  virtues  which 
are  proper  to  her  sex,  has  learned  to  curse  the  name  she 
had  adored,  to  hate  the  whole  race  of  her  destroyer, 
and  to  behold  the  torture  of  a  white  man  at  the  stake 
with  all  the  demoniac  malignity  of  an  exulting  fiend — 
while  the  conflagration  of  houses  upon  the  frontier, 
and  the  shrieks  of  women  and  children  murdered  in 
their  beds,  show  that  she  has  regained  her  influence, 
and  that  the  young  warriors,  who  had  been  the  unsuc- 
cessful  suitors  for  her  hand,   have    united    like    the 
admirers  of  Helen  to  avenge  her  honour. 

It  is  gratifying  to  observe  in  the  very  first  opera- 
tions of  our  confederacy  a  spirit  of  moderation  towards 
our  savage  neighbours.  When  we  came  to  take  pos- 
session of  the  national  heritage  for  which  we  had 
fought,  we  found  it  encompassed  with  enemies.  The 
southern  and  western  tribes  were  generally  hostile. 
On  the  borders  of  Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  and  North 
Carolina,  the  tomahawk  was  busy,  and  the  forests  of 


SKETCHES   OF  THE   WEST.  M 

Kentucky,  and  Tennessee,  presented  a  vast  scene  of 
camage.  Had  our  government  been  animated  by  the 
same  demoniac  spirit,  which  Beams  feO  have  i> 
Other  nations  in  their  dealings  with  the  heathen,  a  fair 
opportunity  was  offered  at  thi<  period  for  its  exercise. 
The  pioneers  were  already  sustaining  themselves 
with  credit  on  our  western  borders,  and  with  a  little 
encouragement  from  the  government,  they  would  bare 
extirpated  all  the  tribes  who  opposed  their  progr  is. 
Employment  mighl  have  been  given  to  the  troops 
which  congress  found  it  necessary  to  disband  ;  and  the 
veterans  who  had  fought  for  independence,  might  have 
been  rewarded  with  the  lands  of  our  enemies.  But 
the  great  men  who  then  swayed  our  councils,  disdain- 
ed the  paltry  spirit  of  revenge,  while  they  were  too 
upright  to  commit  an  act  which  would  have  been 
morally  wrong.  They  knew  that  the  Indians  had 
been  abused  and  misled,  by  the  same  power  which 
had  trampled  on  our  own  rights,  and  had  adulterated 
our  best  institutions  by  the  admixture  of  foreign  and 
pernicious  principles ;  and  they  determined  to  forget 
all  the  aggressions  of  that  unhappy  race,  to  win  them 
to  friendship  by  kindness,  and  to  extend  to  them  tu- 
moral and  civil  blessings  which  had  been  purchased 
by  our  own  emancipation.  The  wars  which  succeeded 
that  of  the  revolution  were  neither  sought  bv  us,  nor 
•  prosecuted  for  one  moment  longer  than  was 
necessary  for  the  defence  of  our  frontiers.  So  foreign 
from  the  views  of  our  government  were  all  ideas  of 
conquest,  that  the  troops  sent  out  under  Harmar  and 
St.  Clair,  were  not  sufficiently  numerous  to  maintain 
a  stand  in  the  wilderness  ;  and  the  army  of  Wavne 


88  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

was  victorious  only  through  the  exertion  of  singular 
skill  and  gallantry. 

The  most  distinguished  leader  of  the  Indians,  in  the 
west,  was  the  "  Little  Turtle,"  a  man  whose  character 
won  the  respect  and  admiration  of  all  who  had  the 
honour  of  his  acquaintance.  His  military  talents  are 
sufficiently  attested  by  the  fact  that  the  successes  of 
the  Indians  in  the  years  1791  and  1792  are  to  be 
ascribed  chiefly  to  him ;  he  was  the  principal  leader 
in  their  battles,  and  the  most  esteemed  orator  in  their 
councils.  All  who  knew  him  speak  in  exalted  terms 
of  the  sound  judgment,  the  enlarged  views,  and  the 
philosophic  mind  of  this  chief.  "  Like  King  Philip, 
Tecumseh,  &c,  he  is  said  to  have  entertained,  at  one 
time,  the  hope  of  forming  an  extensive  coalition  among 
the  Indians,  with  a  view  to  retrieve  the  soil,  of  which 
they  had  been  so  unjustly  deprived  ;  but  meeting  with 
difficulties  which  he  probably  saw  would  be  invincible, 
he,  with  more  foresight  than  either  of  those  chiefs, 
soon  discovered  that  the  day  for  such  measures  had 
lono-  since  passed  away,  and  the  only  advisable  course 
which  remained  for  his  nation  to  adopt,  would  be  to 
make  peace  with  the  invaders,  and  endeavour  to  im- 
prove by  their  superior  information."  (Long's  2d 
Expedition,  vol.  i.  p.  86).  "  No  wonder,"  said  he,  "  that 
the  whites  drive  us  every  year  farther  and  farther  be- 
fore them,  from  the  sea  to  the  Mississippi.  They 
spread  like  oil  on  a  blanket ;  and  we  melt  like  snow 
before  the  sun.  If  these  things  do  not  greatly  change, 
the  red  men  will  disappear  very  shortly."  This  chief 
was  desirous,  not  only  to  live  at  peace  with  the  Ame- 
ricans,  but  anxious  that   his  people    should   become 


SKETCHES   OF  THE   WEST.  "9 

civilised  and  exalted  in  the  scale  of  being.  His 
attachment  to  the  government  of  the  United  States 
une  very  great  ;  and  had  he  lived,  the  Indians  in 
i h<'  northwestern  section  of  our  country  would  proba- 
bly have  been  prevented  from  joining  the  British  in 
the  last  war:  and  B  \a<t  deal  of  cruelty  and  injury  to 
both  parties  would  have  been  prevented.  He  died  in 
1804  or  1806,  and  l-  buried  on  the  bank  of  the  rivi 
St.  Mary,  near  to  the  site  of  old  Fort  Wayne,  in 
Ohio.  A  small  tree,  which  marks  the  spot  of  inter- 
ment, is  the  only  monument  to  the  memory  of  this 
distinguished  man. 

The  treaty  of  Greenville,  made  in  1795  by  General 
Wayne,  at  the  head  of  a  triumphant  army,  with  the 
chiefs  of  the  tribes  who  had  just  been  vanquished  by 
him  in  battle,  affords  the  strongest  evidence  of  the 
pacific  views  of  our  government.  Nothing  is  claimed 
in  that  treaty  by  right  of  conquest.  The  parties 
agree  to  establish  perpetual  peace,  the  Indians  ac- 
knowledge themselves  to  be  under  the  protection  of 
the  United  States,  and  not  of  any  foreign  power,  they 
promise  to  sell  their  land  to  the  United  States  only, 
the  latter  agrees  to  protect  them,  and  a  few  regula- 
tions are  adopted  to  govern  the  intercourse  between 
the  parties;  a  boundary  line  is  established,  by  which 
the  Indians  confirm  to  us  large  tracts  of  land,  nearh 
all  of  which  had  been  ceded  to  us  by  former  treaties 
with  them ;  and  the  United  States  agrees  to  pay  them 
goods  to  the  value  of  $20,000,  and  to  make  them  a 
further  payment  of  89,500  annually.  Thus  in  nego- 
tiating a  peace  at  the  head  quarters  of  our  own  army, 
after  a  signal  victory,  when  we  might  have  dictated, 

8* 


90  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

and  probably  did  dictate,  the  terms,  we  require  nothing 
of  the  other  parties  but  the  performance  of  their  pre- 
vious voluntary  engagements,  and  we  purchase  their 
friendship  by  an  annual  tribute.  We  advert  to  this 
treaty  as  one  of  the  most  important,  and  as  forming 
the  basis  and  the  model  of  almost  all  the  Indian  trea- 
ties which  have  succeeded  it. 

From  this  time  up  to  the  commencement  of  the 
war  with  Great  Britain,  our  government  continued  to 
pursue  a  conciliatory  and  humane  policy  towards  the 
Indians.  In  a  letter  from  General  Dearborn,  secre- 
tary of  war,  to  General  Harrison,  governor  of  the 
Indiana  territory,  dated  February  23,  1802,  the  fol- 
lowing language  is  used  : — "  It  is  the  ardent  wish  of 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  as  well  from  a 
principle  of  humanity,  as  from  duty  and  sound  policy, 
that  all  prudent  means  in  our  power  shall  be  unremit- 
tingly pursued  for  carrying  into  effect  the  benevolent 
views  of  congress  relative  to  the  Indian  nations  within 
the  bounds  of  the  United  States.  The  provisions 
made  by  congress,  under  the  heads  of  intercourse 
with  the  Indian  nations,  and  for  establishing  trading 
houses  among  them,  &c,  have  for  their  object  not 
only  the  cultivation  and  establishment  of  harmony  and 
friendship  between  the  United  States  and  the  different 
nations  of  Indians,  but  the  introduction  of  civilisation 
by  encouraging  and  gradually  introducing  the  arts  of 
husbandry  and  domestic  manufactures  among  them." 

President  Jefferson  himself  writes  thus  to  the  same 
governor : — "  Our  system  is  to  live  in  perpetual  peace 
with  the  Indians,  to  cultivate  an  affectionate  attach- 
ment for  them,  by  every  thing  just  and  liberal  we  can 


SKKT<   UBS     Of    Til  I     W  !  ill 

do  for  them  within  the  bounds  of  reason,  and  by  giving 
them  effectual  protection  against  wrongs  from  our 
people."  Lgau,  "  In  this  wag  om  settlements  will 
circumscribe  and  approach  the  Indians,  and  they  will 
cither  incorporate  with  us,  as  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  of  remove  beyond  the  Mississippi.  The 
former  is  certainly  the  termination  of  their  history 
most  happy  for  themselves ;  bul  in  the  whole  course 
of  tins  it  i<  most  essentia]  to  cultivate  their  lovej 

to  their  tear,  we  presume  that    OUT  Btieagth   am!  their 

weakness  is  now  so  visible  thai   they  must   see  wi 

have  only  to  shut  our  hand  to  crush  them,  and  all  our 
liberality  to  them  proceeds  from  motive-  of  mere 
humanity  only.'1 

Under  date  of  December  22,  1808,  President  Jeffer- 
son writes  thus  ;  "  In  a  letter  to  you  of  Feh.  27,  1 802, 
I  mentioned  that  I  had  heard  there  was  -till  one  Peoria 
man  living,  and  that  a  compensation  making  him  i 
for  life  should  be  given  him,  and  his  conveyance  of 
the  country  by  a  regular  (\vvi\  obtained.  If  there  be 
such  a  man  living,  I  think  this  Bhould  still  be  done.*" 
Here  was  an  instance,  in  which,  a  tribe  being  suppos- 
ed to  be  extinct,  the  government  had  taken  possession 
of  the  country  which  had  been  owned  by  them;  but 
the  president  afterwards  hearing  that  one  individual  of 
that  nation  was  in  existence,  proposed  to  pay  him  fee 
the  soil,  and  get  a  conveyance  from  him.  We  doubt 
whether  in  the  annals  of  any  other  nation  than  our 
own,  such  an  act  of  scrupulous  justice  can  be  shown. 

Our  limits  will  not  permit  US  to  enter  into  a  minute 
detail  of  our  relations  with  the  tribes  during  this 
period.     It  is  enough  for  our  purpose,  to  speak  of  it 


92  SKETCHES    OF    THE    WEST. 

in  general  terms.     It  was  a  gloomy  and  turbulent 
period  to  the  dweller  upon  the  frontier.     Kind  and  for- 
bearing as  was  our  government,  it  was  impossible  to 
soothe  a  spirit  of  revenge,  enkindled  in  the  savage 
heart  by  a  long  series    of  war  and   encroachments. 
Our  citizens,  too,  were  imprudent  and  unjust  in  their 
conduct  towards  them.     The  Indians  subsist  entirely 
by  hunting,  and  the  game  in  their  forests  is  as  valuable 
to  them  as  our  herds  to  us.     The  United  States  had 
passed   laws   forbidding  our  people   from  trespassing 
upon  the  Indian  hunting  grounds.     Yet  our  hunters 
would  often  pass  over  into  the  Indian  country,  and 
destroy  vast  quantities  of  game.     In  1801,  Governor 
Harrison,    in    a   communication  to   the    government, 
describes  the  Indians  as  entertaining  the  most  friendly 
dispositions   towards  us,   but  as  being   provoked  and 
discontented  on  account  of  injuries  received  from  such 
individuals  as  we  have  alluded  to.     The  practice  of 
hunting  on  their  lands  had  grown  into  a  monstrous 
abuse ;   thousands  of  wild  animals,  from  which  they 
derived  their  sole  subsistence,  were  annually  destroyed 
by  the  whites.     Many  parts  of  the  country  which  had 
abounded  with  game  at  the  conclusion  of  the  general 
peace    in    1795,    were   now   totally    destitute.       The 
settlers  on  the  Ohio  were  in  the  habit  of  passing  into 
the  Indian  territory  every  autumn  to  kill  bear,  deer, 
and  buffaloes  merely  for  the  skins,  by  means  of  which 
these   animals,  particularly  the   latter,  were  in  some 
places  become   almost  extinct.      (Dawson's  Life   of 
Harrison.) 

The  agents  of  the  British  government  continued  to 
exercise  all  the  incendiary  arts  of  their  despicable 


-Kin  in ■    09    nn:    wkst.  93 

lliiilllllfji,  in  exciting  the  Indians  into  hostility.  It 
i-  probable  that  until  the  conclusion  of  the  last  war, 
m  1815,  the  mother  country  m m t  entirely  abandoned 

the  hope  of  reducing  her  lost  colonies  to  their  former 
state  of  subjection.  Alarmed  at  the  rapidity  with 
which  our  settlements  were  spreading  to  the  west, 
they  attempted  to  oppose  barriers  to  our  advance  in 
that  direction,  by  exciting  the  savage  to  war — equally 
alarmed  at  our  efforts  to  civilise  the  tribes,  and 
fearful  that  the  wandering  hordes  of  the  west  mighJ 
be  induced  to  sit  down  under  the  protection  of  our 
republican  institutions,  and  thus  bring  an  immense 
accession  to  our  strength,  they  insidiously  endeavour- 
ed to  countervail  all  our  benevolent  exertions  of  that 
description.  We  could  hardly  dare,  unless  we  had 
the  proof  at  hand,  to  expose  to  the  Christian  world  the 
extent,  the  wickedness,  the  unhappy  tendency  of  these 
intrigues.  The  United  States  were  engaged  in  an 
experiment  which  was  approved  by  every  virtuous 
man,  and  ought  to  have  been  supported  by  every 
enlightened  nation.  She  was  earnestly  endeavouring 
to  reclaim  the  savage — to  induce  the  tribes  to  abandon 
their  cruelties,  their  superstitions,  their  comfortless 
and  perilous  wanderings,  and  to  sit  down  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  law,  religion,  peace,  industry,  and  the  arts. 
She  wished  to  send  the  cross  of  the  Redeemer,  the 
blessings  of  civil  liberty,  and  the  light  of  science, 
abroad  throughout  the  whole  of  this  vast  continent  ; 
and  to  establish  peace  and  good  will  in  those  boundless 
forests  which  had  heretofore  been  the  gloomy  abodes 
of  ferocious  ignorance,  vindictive  passion,  and  sangui- 
narv  conflict.     Had  she  been  successful  in  this  benefi- 


94  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

cent  design,  she  would  have  achieved  a  revolution  as 
glorious  as  that  which  gave  us  independence.  The 
British  cabinet  saw  the  possibility  of  such  a  result, 
and  trembled  at  the  consequences  ;  they  could  not 
consent  that  the  United  States  should  either  reap  the 
honour  of  so  proud  a  triumph,  or  gain  an  accession  of 
strength  which  would  for  ever  establish  her  independ- 
ence. Their  emissaries,  therefore,  were  multiplied, 
and  stimulated  to  renewed  activity ;  and  while  the 
agents  of  our  government,  the  Christian  missionaries, 
and  hundreds  of  benevolent  individuals,  laboured  assi- 
duously to  enlighten  the  savage  mind,  and  allure  it  to 
peace,  and  virtue,  and  industry,  the  unhallowed  am- 
bassadors of  corruption  toiled  as  industriously  to  per- 
petuate the  darkness  of  heathenism,  the  gloom  of 
ignorance,  and  the  atrocities  of  war.  They  repre- 
sented our  government  as  having  interests  inimical  to 
those  of  the  red  men ;  and  endeavoured  to  fasten  upon 
us,  as  a  people,  those  enormities  which  had  been  prac- 
tised under  the  sanction  of  their  own  government,  and  of 
which  we  had  been  the  sufferers  in  common  with  the 
aborigines.  They  characterised  our  missionaries  as 
political  agents ;  and  appealed  successfully  to  the 
ambition  of  the  chiefs,  and  the  prejudices  and  national 
pride  of  the  tribes,  by  insinuating  that  our  efforts  to 
extend  to  them  our  customs,  faith,  arts,  and  language, 
were  intended  to  destroy  their  integrity  and  independ- 
ence, to  efface  their  traditions,  and  blot  out  their 
names  from  the  list  of  nations.  Stronger  and  more 
direct  arguments  than  even  these  were  resorted  to : 
while  we  inculcated  the  virtue  of  temperance,  and 
showed    the    Indian   that   intemperance   was   rapidly 


-KLT<  Hi>   OF  THE   WEST.  95 

destroying  his  name  and   kindred,   the   I>riti-: 
secretly    distributed    brandy    with    a    lavish    hand  : — 
while  we  invited  the  warrior  to  peace,  he  gave  him 
arms  and   ammunition,  and   incited    him   to  war  and 
plunder: — whil-  red  the  tribes  our  gospel,  and 

our  arts,  and  furnished  them  with  the  implement!  of 
industry,  he  lavished  among  their  tribes  military  ti- 
red coats,  epaulets,  and  paltry  trinket-,  thus  adminis- 
tering aliment  to  ei  ge  propensity  and  preju- 
dice, and  neutralising  the  effect  of  every  wise  precept 
and  virtuous  example.  Such  miscreants  as  M*Ree 
and  Girty.  while  in  the  daily  perpetration  of  the  n 
odious  crimes,  received  from  their  government  the 
honours  and  rewards  which  are  only  due  to  virtuous 
and  patriotic  services.  They,  and  others  who  could 
be  named,  were  as  familiarly  known  in  the  western 
country*,  and  their  acts  were  as  notorious  as  those  of 
Jefferson  or  Canning  in  the  civilised  world.  In  proof 
of  this  we  cite  the  following  passage  from  a  talk 
delivered  by  President  Jefferson  to  the  Miamies. 
Potawatamies,  Delawares,  and  Chippewas.  "  Some 
of  you  are  old  enough  to  remember,  and  the  younger 
have  heard  from  their  fathers,  that  this  country  was 
formerly  governed  by  the  English.  While  they 
governed  it,  there  were  constant  wars  between  the 
white  and  red  people.  To  such  a  height  was  the 
hatred  of  both  parties  carried,  that  they  thought  it 
was  no  crime  to  kill  one  another  in  cold  blood  when- 
ever-they  had  an  opportunity.  This  spirit  led  many 
of  the  Indians  to  take  side  agaii^t  us  in  the  war ;  and 
at  the  close  of  it  the  English  made  pence  for  them- 
selves, and  lell  the  Indians  to  get  out  of  it  as  well  as 


96  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

they  could.  It  was  not  till  twelve  years  after  that  we 
were  able,  by  the  treaty  of  Greenville,  to  close  our 
wars  with  our  red  neighbours.  From  that  moment, 
my  children,  the  policy  of  this  country  towards  you 
has  been  entirely  changed.  General  Washington, 
our  first  president,  began  a  line  of  just  and  friendly 
conduct  towards  you.  Mr.  Adams,  the  second,  con- 
tinued it ;  and  from  the  moment  I  came  into  the 
administration,  I  have  looked  upon  you  with  the  same 
good  will  as  my  own  fellow  citizens,  have  considered 
your  interests  as  our  interests,  and  peace  and  friend- 
ship as  a  blessing  to  us  all.  Seeing  with  sincere 
regret,  that  your  people  were  wasting  away,  believing 
that  this  proceeded  from  your  frequent  wars,  the 
destructive  use  of  spirituous  liquors,  and  the  scanty 
supplies  of  food,  I  have  inculcated  peace  with  all  your 
neighbours,  have  endeavoured  to  prevent  the  introduc- 
tion of  spirituous  liquors,  and  have  pressed  it  upon  you 
to  rely  for  food  on  the  culture  of  the  earth  more  than 
on  hunting.  On  the  contrary,  my  children,  the 
English  persuade  you  to  hunt.  They  supply  you  with 
spirituous  liquors,  and  are  now  endeavouring  to  engage 
you  to  join  them  in  a  war  against  us,  should  a  war 
take  place.  You  possess  reason,  my  children,  as  we 
do,  and  you  will  judge  for  yourselves  which  of  us 
advise  you  as  friends.  The  course  they  advise  has 
worn  you  down  to  your  present  numbers ;  but  temper- 
ance, peace,  and  agriculture,  will  raise  you  up  to  what 
your  forefathers  were,  will  prepare  you  to  possess 
property,  to  wish  to  live  under  regular  laws,  to  join  us 
in  our  government,  to   mix  with  us  in  society,  and, 


SKETCHES  OF  THE   WEST.  W 

your  Mood  and  our-,  united,  will  spread  Again  over 
the  great  island. 

Contrast  those  sentiments,  so  honourable  to  our 
country  and  to  humanity,  with  the  following  talk  from 
the  British  superintendent  of  Indian  afiairs,  delivered 
to  the  Pottawafainie  chiefs,  ;it  the  river  St.  Josephs, 
of  Lake  Michigan,  in  November,  1804  : — ■•  My  child- 
ren, it  is  true  that  the  Americans  do  not  wish  you  to 
drink  any  spirituous,  liquors,  th<  refbre  they  have  told 
their  traders  that  th"\  Bhould  not  cany  any  liquor 
into  your  countrj — but,  my  children,  they  have  no 
right  t<>  say  that  one  of  your  father's  traders  among 
von  should  carry  no  liquor  anionic  hi-  children." 

"  My  children,  your  father,  King  George,  loves  his 
red  children,  and  wishes  his  red  children  to  be  supplied 
wit h every  thing  they  want ;  lie  is  not  Like  the  Ameri- 
cans, who  are  continually  blinding  your  eyes,  and 
stopping  your  ems  with  good  words,  that  taste  as 
sweet    as    sugar,    and    getting    all    your   lands    from 

you." 

•  My  children,  I  am  told  that  Wells  has  told  you, 
thai  it  was  your  interest  to  suffer  no  liquor  to  come 
into  your  country  :  you  all  know  he  is  a  bad  man,"  &c. 

On  another  occasion  he  said,  "  My  children,  there 
is  dow  a  powerful  enemy  of  yours  to  the  east,  now  on 
his  feet,  and  looks  mad  at  you,  then  fori'  \<.ii  must  be 
on  your  guard  ;  keep  your  weapons  of  war  in  your 
bands,  and  have  a  look  out  for  him." 

Thus  while  our  government  endeavoured  to  throw 
the  jreil  of  oblivion  over  past  irritations,  and  to  esta- 
blish with  its  n-d  neighbours  those  friendly  relations 
by   which  the   best    interests   of  both   parties  would 

VOL.   I. 9 


98  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

have  been  promoted,  the  design  was  frustrated  by 
the  imprudence  of  a  few  of  our  citizens,  and  the 
continual  intrigues  of  a  government,  which  at  that 
time  arrogated  to  herself  the  title  of  the  bulwark  of 
religion,  and  claimed  pre-eminence  in  all  the  arts  and 
virtues  of  civilisation.  The  consequence  was,  that 
our  frontiers  continued  to  be  desolated  by  petty  wars 
of  the  most  distressing  character — wars,  the  miseries 
of  which  fell  solely  upon  individuals,  who  were  robbed, 
and  tortured,  and  murdered,  by  those  who  professed 
to  be  the  allies,  and  were  in  fact  the  dependencies,  of 
their  own  government.  Towards  the  year  1812,  the 
Indians  became  more  and  more  audacious.  The 
approach  of  war  between  this  country  and  Great 
Britain,  the  increased  bribes  and  redoubled  intrigues 
of  that  nation,  and  the  prospect  of  gaining  in  her  a 
powerful  ally,  gave  new  fuel  to  their  hatred,  and  new 
vigour  to  their  courage.  At  this  period  the  celebrated 
Tecumseh  appeared  upon  the  scene.  He  was  called 
the  Napoleon  of  the  west ;  and  so  far  as  that  title  was 
deserved  by  splendid  genius,  unwavering  courage, 
untiring  perseverance,  boldness  of  conception,  and 
promptitude  of  action,  it  was  fairly  bestowed  upon  this 
accomplished  savage.  He  rose  from  obscurity  to  the 
command  of  a  tribe  to  which  he  was  alien  by  birth.  He 
was  by  turns  the  orator,  the  warrior,  and  the  politician ; 
and  in  each  of  these  capacities  towered  above  all  with 
whom  he  came  in  contact.  As  is  often  the  case  with 
great  minds,  one  master  passion  filled  his  heart, 
prompted  all  his  designs,  and  gave  to  his  life  its  cha- 
racter. This  was  hatred  to  the  whites ;  and  like 
Hannibal,  he  had  sworn  that  it  should  be  perpetual. 


-KETCHES  OF  THE  WEST.  99 

11    entertained  the  wne  \;i-t  project  of  uniting  th<- 
scattered  tribes  of  the  west  into  one' great  confederacy, 

which  had  been  acted  on  by  King  Philip  and  Little 
Turtle.  He  wished  to  extinguish  all  distinctions  of 
tribe  and  language,  to  burv  all  feuds,  and  to  combim 
the  power  and  the  prejudices  of  all,  in  defence  of  the 
rights  and  possessions  of  the  whole,  as  the  aboriginal 
occupants  of  the  country.  The  British  officers  found 
in  him  an  able  and  apt  coadjutor,  and  by  their  joint 
machinations  the  whole  western  frontier  was  thrown 
into  commotion.  It  was  to  the  followers  of  this  chief, 
and  in  deference  to  his  counsel,  that  the  American 
prisoners  taken  at  the  river  Raisin,  were  delivered  up 
b\  the  British  commander  to  be  slaughtered  in  cold 
blood ;  and  it  was  with  Tecumseh  himself,  that  Gene- 
ral Proctor  made  the  disgraceful  compact,  by  which 
it  was  agreed  that  General  Harrison  and  all  who  had 
fought  with  him  at  Tippecanoe,  should,  if  taken,  be 
delivered  up  to  the  Indians  to  be  burned.  (IStAfees 
History  of  the  War.)  He  was  the  terror  and  scourge 
of  his  foes,  the  uncompromising  opposer  of  all  attempts 
at  civilising  the  Indians,  the  brave,  implacable,  untir- 
ing enemy  of  our  people.  His  death  dispersed  the 
tribes  who  were  leagued  against  us  in  the  northwest, 
and  gave  a  fatal  blow  to  the  hopes  of  the  British  crown 
in  that  quarter. 

We  have  noticed  these  events  for  the  purpose  of 
showing  the  obstacles  which  have  embarrassed  our 
government  in  all  their  schemes  for  extending  the 
mild  and  moralising  influence  of  our  Christian  and 
republican  principles  throughout  the  western  forests. 


100  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

With  the  conclusion  of  the  war,  in  1815,  ended  our 
hostilities  with  the  Indians.  The  brilliant  exploits  of 
our  navy,  and  the  signal  victories  gained  by  our 
armies  at  New  Orleans,  at  the  river  Thames,  on  the 
Niagara,  and  at  Plattsburgh,  convinced  the  British 
of  the  futility  of  all  their  hopes  of  conquest  on  this 
continent,  and  spread  an  universal  panic  among  the 
tribes.  The  eyes  of  the  latter  were  opened  to  our 
power,  as  they  had  been  to  our  forbearance.  They 
saw  that  they  had  nothing  to  hope  from  our  weakness, 
or  our  fears,  and  much  to  gain  from  our  friendship. 
They  must  now  submit,  or  by  contending  single-handed 
against  the  victorious  troops  who  had  defeated  their 
martial  allies,  draw  down  inevitable  destruction  upon 
their  own  heads.  At  this  fortunate  juncture  our  cabi- 
net again  held  out  the  olive  branch.  The  enlightened 
Madison,  ever  pacific  in  his  public  character,  as  he 
was  amiable  and  philanthropic  in  private  life,  spared 
no  pains  in  healing  the  unhappy  wounds  which  had 
been  inflicted  upon  the  mutual  peace ;  and  his  succes- 
sors, by  pursuing  the  same  policy,  have  given  perma- 
nence to  a  system  of  amicable  relations  between  us 
and  our  misguided  neighbours. 

Our  intercourse  with  the  Indian  tribes  has  now 
assumed  a  new  character.  Since  the  last  war  with 
Great  Britain,  no  tribe  has  ventured  upon  a  formal 
declaration  of  hostility.  Predatoiy  incursions  by  war 
parties  have  ceased.  Robbery  and  murder  occur  as 
seldom  upon  the  frontier  as  elsewhere.  The  massacre 
of  women  and  children  is  no  longer  perpetrated,  nor 
feared ;  and  our  settlers  who  advance  into  the  wilder- 


SKETCHES   OF  THE   WEST.  101 

DOM  beyond  the  reach  of  civil  protection,  have  aban- 
doned the  practice  of  erecting  stockades  for  their 
defence.  In  two  or  three  instances  the  quiet  of  the 
frontier  has  been  disturbed,  and  a  momentary  panic- 
spread  throughout  the  settlements :  but  these  aggres- 
sions have  always  been  traced  to  unruly  individuals, 
who  have  been  surrendered  for  punishment,  while 
their  acts  have  been  promptly  disowned  by  the 
tribes. 


9* 


102  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Further  particulars  of  the  system  of  intercourse  of  our  govern-, 
ment  with  the  Indians — Michievous  influence  of  that  system. 

We  come  now  to  consider  briefly  the  question,  what 
is  the  precise  character  of  our  relations  with  the  In- 
dians? We  have  to  show,  in  support  of  the  positions 
assumed  in  the  commencement  of  this  article,  that  our 
government,  with  the  very  best  intentions  towards  the 
aborigines,  has  not  only  failed  to  accomplish  its  bene- 
volent purposes  in  regard  to  them,  but  has  in  fact  done 
much  positive  wrong  to  them  and  to  ourselves.  To 
ascertain  the  exact  position  of  the  parties  in  respect 
to  each  other,  we  shall  call  the  attention  of  the  reader 
to  a  few  of  the  treaties  and  laws  which  regulate  the 
subject  matter,  confining  ourselves  chiefly  to  those 
which  have  been  made  subsequently  to  the  events  that 
we  have  narrated.  Our  present  system  of  Indian  re- 
lations, although  commenced  under  the  administration 
of  General  Washington,  has  been  chiefly  built  up 
since  the  last  war.  The  treaties  have  been  so  nume- 
rous, that  it  is  impossible,  on  an  occasion  like  this,  to 
enter  into  their  details,  or  to  do  more  than  to  refer  in 
a  compendious  manner  to  their  leading  features.  We 
shall  adopt  this  plan  as  sufficient  for  our  purpose. 
The  following  propositions,  then,  will  be  found  to  con- 
tain the  leading  principles  of  this  anomalous  diplomacy, 
and  to  have  obtained  in  our  treaties  with  nearly  all 
those  tribes. 


SKETCHES  OF  THE   WEST.  103 

1.  The  United  States  have  almost  invariably  given 
presents,  in  nosey,  Minis,  clothing,  tanning  imple- 
ments, and  trinkets,  upon  the  negotiation  of  a  treaty; 
and  in  treaties  for  the  purchase  of  territory,  we  pay 
an  equivalent  for  the  lands,  in  money  or  merchandise, 
or  both,  which  payment  is  generally  made  in  the  shape 
of  annuities,  either  limited  or  perpetual. 

'■2.  W  hen  a  tribe  cedes  the  territory  on  which  the\ 
reside,  other  territory  i-  specified,  for  their  future  oc- 
cupancy, and  the  United  States  guarantee  to  them  the 
title  and  peaceable  occupancy  thereof. 

3.  The  Indian  tribes  acknowledge  themselves  to  be 
under  the  protection  of  our  government,  and  of  no 
other  power  what  soever. 

4.  They  engage  not  to  make  war  with  each  other, 
or  with  any  foreign  nation,  without  the  consent  of  the 
United  States. 

5.  They  agree  to  sell  their  lands  only  to  the  United 
States. 

6.  White  men  found  hunting  on  the  Indian  lands, 
may  be  apprehended  by  them,  and  delivered  up  to  the 
nearest  agent  of  the  United  States. 

7.  White  men  are  not  to  trade  with  the  Indians, 
nor  reside  in  their  country,  without  license  from  our 
authorities. 

8.  An  Indian  who  commits  murder  upon  a  white 
man,  is  to  be  delivered  up  to  be  tried  by  our  laws  ; 
stolen  property  is  to  be  returned,  or  the  tribe  to  be 
accountable  for  its  value. 

9.  The  United  States  claims  the  right  of  naviga- 
tion, on  all  navigable  rivers  which  pass  through  an  In- 
dian territory. 


104  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

10.  The  tribes  agree  that  they  will  at  all  times 
allow  to  traders,  and  other  persons  traveling  through 
their  country,  under  the  authority  of  the  United 
States,  a  free  and  safe  passage  for  themselves  and 
their  property ;  and  that  for  such  passage,  they  shall 
at  no  time,  and  on  no  account  whatever  be  subject  to 
any  toll  or  exaction. 

11.  Should  any  tribe  of  Indians  or  other  power, 
meditate  a  war  against  the  United  States,  or  threaten 
any  hostile  act,  and  the  same  shall  come  to  the  know- 
ledge of  a  tribe  in  amity  with  the  United  States,  the 
latter  shall  give  notice  thereof  to  the  nearest  governor, 
or  officer  commanding  the  troops  of  the  United  States. 

12.  No  tribe  in  amity  with  the  United  States  shall 
supply  arms  or  ammunition,  or  any  warlike  implement, 
aid,  or  munition,  to  a  tribe  not  in  amity  with  us. 

The  following  special  articles  have  been  assented  to 
by  particular  tribes,  and  have  been  inserted  in  treaties 
with  some  other  tribes,  so  as  to  prevail  to  a  consider- 
able extent. 

"  The  United  States  demand  an  acknowledgement  of 
the  right  to  establish  military  posts,  and  trading  houses, 
and  to  open  roads  within  the  territory  guaranteed  to 
the  Creek  nation  in  the  second  article,  and  the  richt 
to  the  navigation  of  all  its  waters." — Treaty  of  Au- 
gust 9,  1814. 

"  The  Shawnee  nation  do  acknowledge  the  United 
States  to  be  sole  and  absolute  sovereigns  of  all  the  ter- 
ritory  ceded  to  them  by  a  treaty  of  peace  made  be- 
tween them  and  the  king  of  Great  Britain,  on  the 
14th  January,  1786."—  Treaty  of  3 1st  January,  1786. 

"  It  is  agreed  on  the  part  of  the  Cherokees,  that  the 


ski  m  M  ■  OS   ill  i :  VJ  i:st.  I6fl 

United  Btatei  shall  have  the  sols  and  ebeoiuM  right  to 

regulate  their  trade." — Treaty  of  id  July.  1791. 

••  Fifty-four  tmcta  of  one  mile  square  each,  of  the  land 
ended  l>\  thi<  treaty,  shall  !><■  hud  off  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  sold, 
far  the  purpose  of  raising  a  fund  to  be  applied  for  the 
support  of  schools,  f<>r  the  education  of  the  Osage 
children."—  <>/'  2d  /sue,  1885. 

uThe  United  Stat  e  to  furnish  at  Clarke,  for 

the  nee  of  the  Osage  nations,  a  blacksmith,  and  tools 

to  mend  their  arm-,  and  utensils  of  husbandry,  and 

to  hnild  them  a  horse  mill.  <»r  water  mill  :  also 

to  furnish  them  with  ploughs,  ov<-."" — Ibid. 

••  The  United  Stat.-,  immediately  after  the  ratifica- 
tion of  this  convention,  shall  cause  to  be  furnished  to 
the  Iranian  nation,  800  head  of  cattle,  300  hogs,  500 
domestic  fowls,  three  yoke  of  oxen,  and  two  carts,  with 
such  implements  of  husbandry  as  the  superintendent  of 
Indian  affidra  may  think  nee.  ssary  ;  and  shall  employ 
such  persons  to  aid  ami  instruct  them  in  agriculture,  as 
the  Piestuenl  of  the  Tinted  States  may  deem  expe- 
dient ;  and  shall  provide  and  support  a  blacksmith  for 
them."—  Treaty  of  M  June.  1826. 

"  Thirty-six  sections  of  good  land  on  Big  Blue  river, 
shall  be  laid  out  under  the  direction  of  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  and  sold,  for  the  purpose  of  raising 
a  fund  to  be  applied  under  the  direction  of  the  president, 
to  the  education  of  the  Kansas  children  within  their 
nation." — Ibid. 

••  The  Tetons,  Xanetons  and  Tanetonies,  and  bands 
of  the  Henri,  admit  the  right  of  the  United  States  to 
regulate  their  trade." — Treaty  of  2d  June,  1835. 


106  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

We  now  turn  to  the  statute  books,  for  the  purpose 
of  showing  the  spirit  of  our  legislation  in  regard  to 
the  Indian  tribes ;  and  in  the  first  place  the  intention 
of  those  laws  as  expressed  on  the  face  of  them  is  not 
unworthy  of  notice.  We  find  throughout  the  whole 
of  our  acts  of  congress  on  this  subject,  such  expres- 
sions as  the  following  : — "  In  order  to  promote  civilisa- 
tion among  the  friendly  Indians,  and  to  secure  the  con- 
tinuance of  their  friendship"  &c.  "  For  the  purpose 
of  providing  against  the  further  decline  and  final  extinc- 
tion of  the  Indian  tribes,  adjoining  the  frontier  settle- 
ments of  the  United  States,  and  for  introducing  among 
them  the  habits  and  arts  of  civilisation"  &c.  The  3d 
article  of  an  ordinance  for  the  government  of  the 
territory  of  the  United  States,  northwest  of  the  river 
Ohio,  runs  as  follows : — "  Religion,  morality,  and 
knowledge,  being  necessary  to  good  government  and 
the  happiness  of  mankind,  schools  and  the  means  of 
education  shall  for  ever  be  encouraged.  The  utmost 
good  faith  shall  always  be  observed  towards  the 
Indians :  their  lands  and  property  shall  never  be  taken 
from  them  without  their  consent ;  and  in  their  pro- 
perty, rights,  and  liberty,  they  shall  never  be  invaded 
or  disturbed  unless  in  just  and  lawful  wars  authorised 
by  congress ;  but  laws,  founded  injustice  and  humanity, 
shall  from  time  to  time  be  made  for  preventing  wrongs 
being  done  to  them,  and  for  preserving  peace  and 
friendship  with  them." 

We  shall,  when  we  come  to  enquire  what  have  been 
the  results  of  our  intercourse  with  the  Indians,  and 
whether  those  results  have  realised  the  wishes  of  the 
American  people,  and  the  intentions  of  the  govern- 


»m:ii  ii  M  01     i  in:   «  i  -  i'.  107 

meat,  refer  to  the  above  extracts  as  ezpreetliig  those 
u  iahes  and  intentions. 
We  will  not  detail  at  large  the  statutory  provisions 

to  Vfhich  we  intend  to  refer,  hut  will  content  ourselves 
with  such  a  Bynopsis  as  will  answer  our  purpose.  Our 
Indian  anairs  an-  conducted  l>\  several  superintendents, 
and  a  number  ofagents  and  sub-agents,  who  are  required 
to  reside  \\  ithin  their  respective  agencies,  and  through 
whom  the  government  conducts  all  it<  negotiations 
with  the  tribes,  except  when  special  trusts  are  com* 
initted  to  military  officers,  or  to  commissioners  ap- 
pointed tor  the  occasion.  We  regulate  the  trade 
with  them  by  statute,  rigoiou-ly  prohibiting  all  ingn  — 
into  their  country,  1»\  our  citizens,  or  by  foreigners, 
and  all  traffic,  except  by  Bpeoial  license  from  our 
authorities.  An  Indian  who  kills  a  white  man,  or  a 
white  man  who  sla^s  an  Indian,  are  alike  tried  by  our 
laws,  and  in  our  courts.  e\en  though  the  offence  was 
committed  in  the  Indian  territory.  Larceny,  rohhery, 
trespass,  or  other  crime,  committed  by  white  men 
against  Indians,  in  the  country  of  the  latter,  is  punish- 
able in  our  court-,  and  where  the  offender  is  unable  to 
make  restitution,  the  just  value  of  the  property  taken 
or  destroyed  is  paid  by  our  government ;  if  a  similar 
ression  is  commit!  sd  by  an  Indian  against  a  white 
man,  the  tribe  is  held  responsible.  The  president  is 
authorised  to  furnish  to  the  tribes,  schoolmasters, 
artisans,  teachers  of  husbandry  and  the  mechanic  arte) 

tools,    implement-;    of   agriculture,    domestic    animals: 

and  generally  to  introduce  the  habits  and  arts  of  social 
life  among  them. 

/Although  we  have  omitted  a  great   many  provisions 


108  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

similar  to  those  which  we  have  quoted,  we  believe 
that  we  have  not  passed  over  any  thing  which  is 
necessary  to  a  fair  exposition  of  the  principles  of  our 
negotiations  with,  and  legislation  over,  the  Indian 
tribes.  It  will  be  seen  that  we  have  never  avowed  an 
intention  to  extirpate  this  unhappy  race,  to  strip  them 
of  their  property,  or  to  deprive  them  of,  what  in  our 
declaration  of  independence  we  have  emphatically 
termed,  indefeasible  rights.  On  the  contrary,  our 
declared  purpose,  repeatedly  and  solemnly  avowed, 
has  been  to  secure  their  friendship — to  civilise  them 
— to  give  them  the  habits  and  arts  of  social  life — to 
elevate  their  character,  and  increase  their  happiness. 

If  it  be  asked,  to  what  extent  these  objects  have 
been  attained,  the  answer  must  be  appalling  to  every 
friend  of  humanity.  It  is  so  seldom  that  the  energies 
of  a  powerful  government  have  been  steadily  directed 
to  the  accomplishment  of  a  benevolent  design,  that  we 
cannot,  without  deep  regret,  behold  the  exertion  of 
such  rare  beneficence  defeated  of  its  purpose.  Yet  it 
is  most  certainly  true,  that,  notwithstanding  all  our 
professions,  and  our  great  expenditure  of  money  and 
labour,  the  Indians,  so  far  from  advancing  one  step  in 
civilisation  and  happiness,  so  far  from  improving  in 
their  condition,  or  rising  in  the  scale  of  moral  being, 
are  every  day  sinking  lower  in  misery  and  barbarism. 
The  virtues  which  thev  cherished  in  their  aboriginal 
state  have  been  blunted  by  their  intercourse  with  the 
whites,  and  they  have  acquired  vices  which  were 
unknown  to  their  simple  progenitors.  We  take  no 
account  here  of  the  Creeks,  the  Cherokees,  and 
Choc  taws,  a  portion  of  whom  present  an  exception  to 


NOTCHES  OF  THE  WEST.  1<><* 

the   gMal    body   of  the    Indians,  and   whoso   case  we 
shall  refer  to  hereafter,  as  sastaining  our  doctrine*. 

We  speak  now  of  the  wanderiag  tribes — of  tlie  Indian* 
at  large,  who  continue  to  reject  the  aits  and  habits  of 
social  life,  who  fear  and  despise  the  while  man,  and 
tenaciously  adhere  to  all  the  ferocious  customs,  and 
[miserable  axpe&ents  of  savage  [fee.  If  we  have  failed 
to  soften  their  rude  nature*,  to  enlighten  their  under- 
standing.-, 07  to  imbue  their  minds  with  anv  of  our 
principles  of  moral  action,  equafl}  have  we  failed  to 
secure  their  friendship.  We  have  tamed  them  into 
submission  by  displays  of  our  power,  or  bought  them 
into  Nbserrieoee  with  our  money,  but  we  have  not 
-lined  their  love  or  their  confidence. 

Nor  is  this  all.  Our  system  is  not  only  inefficient, 
but  it  is  positively  mischievous.  Its  direct  tendency 
is  to  retard  the  civilisation  of  the  Indian.  We  have 
stripped  their  nations  of  freedom,  sovereignty,  and 
independence.  We  claim  the  right  to  regulate  their 
trade,  to  navigate  their  rivers,  to  have  ingress  into  their 
country;  we  forbid  all  intercourse  with  them,  except 
by  special  license  from  our  authorities ;  we  try  them 
in  our  courts  for  offences  committed  in  their  country, 
and  we  do  not  acknowledge  the  existence  of  any  tri- 
bunal among  them,  having  authority  to  inflict  a  penalty 
on  one  of  our  citizens.  They  are  subjected  to  the  "^ 
restraints  without  enjoying  the  privileges,  the  protec- 
tion, or  the  moral  influence,  of  our  laws.  Theirs  is 
therefore  a  state  of  subjection — of  mere  rassalage — 
precisely  that  state  which  has  always  been  found  to 
destroy  the  energies,  and  degrade  the  character  of  a  X 
people. 

vol.  i — 10 


110  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

But  as  if  by  a  refinement  of  cruelty,  similar  to  that 
which  decks  a  victim  in  costly  robes,  and  surrounds 
him  with  pleasing  objects  of  sense,  at  the  moment  of 
execution,  we  leave  them  in  the  nominal  possession  of 
independence,  and  in  the  practice  of  all  their  long 
cherished  and  idolised  customs,  prejudices  and  super- 
stitions. They  are  kept  separate  from  us,  and  their 
own  national  pride  naturally  co-operates  with  our 
injudicious  policy,  to  keep  them  for  ever  a  distinct,  an 
alien,  and  a  hostile  people.  They  gain  nothing  by  the 
example  of  our  industry,  the  precepts  of  our  religion, 
the  influence  of  our  laws,  our  arts,  our  institutions,  for 
they  see  or  feel  nothing  of  the  salutary  operation  of 
all  these,  and  only  know  them  in  their  terrors  or  their 
restraints.  They  are  a  subjected  people,  governed  by 
laws  in  the  making  of  which  they  have  no  voice,  and 
enjoying  none  of  the  privileges  of  their  lords  para- 
mount. By  giving  them  presents  and  annuities  we 
support  them  in  idleness,  and  cherish  their  wandering 
and  unsettled  habits.  We  bribe  them  into  discontent, 
by  teaching  them  that  every  public  convention  held  for 
the  settlement  of  misunderstandings,  is  to  bring  them 
valuable  tributes ;  while  the  same  cause  trains  them  to 
duplicity,  and  induces  them  to  exercise  all  their  inge- 
nuity in  seeking  out  causes  of  offence,  and  in  com- 
pounding their  grievances  to  the  best  advantage. 

If  all  this  is  wrong  in  principle,  it  is  still  worse  in 
practice.  The  Indian  department  has  already  become 
one  of  the  most  expensive  branches  of  our  govern- 
ment. Our  foreign  relations  are  scarcely  more  costly 
than  our  negotiations  with  the  tribes.  If  the  vast 
sums  which  are  annually  laid  out  in  this  manner,  were 


n  l    I'  KM  OF  TOE  WEST.  Ill 

productive  of  any  permanent  good  to  the  Indians,  no 
patriot  or  Christian  would  regret  the  expenditure. 
But  when  we  see  our  treasure  squandered  with  a 
lavish  hand,  not  only  without  any  good  effect,  but 
with  great  positive  injury,  to  the  miserable  race  whom 
we  have  reduced  to  the  state  of  dependence  upon  out 
bounty,  it  is  time  to  pause.  When  we  examine  fur- 
ther, ami  see  how  large  a  portion  of  these  vast  sum- 
are  intercepted  before  they  reach  the  hand  of  the  red 
man — DOW  much  is  expended  in  sustaining  military 
posts,  paving  agents,  transporting  merchandise,  hold- 
ing treaties,  and  keeping  in  operation  in  various  ways 
a  vast,  complicated,  and  useless  machinery — when 
we  reflect  how  much  is  unavoidably  lost,  and  squan- 
dered, and  misapplied,  the  question  assumes  a  fearful 
importance. 

The  British  government,  when  attempting  to  subdue 
the  ferocious  spirit  of  the  Scotish  highlanders,  and  to 
allure  them  to  the  arts  of  peace,  prohibited  them  from 
wearing  the  national  dress,  and  from  carrying  arms, 
and  used  its  influence  to  destroy  the  power  of  the 
chieftains,  and  to  eradicate  the  use  of  the  Gaelic  lan- 
guage ;  because  all  these  things  tended  to  foster  the 
pride  of  descent,  to  cherish  ancient  recollections,  and 
to  keep  the  clans  separate  from  the  rest  of  the  nation, 
and  from  each  other. 

Our  government  has  pursued  a  policy  directly  oppo- 
site. We  are  continually  administering  nourishment 
to  the  prejudices  of  the  Indians,  and  keeping  alive  the 
distinctions  that  separate  them  from  us.  They  are 
constantly  reminded  of  their  nominal  independence  by 
the   embassies  which   are  sent  to  them,  and  by  the 


112  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

ridiculous  mock  pageantry  which  is  exhibited  on  such 
occasions  ;  when  our  commissioners,  instead  of  exerting 
the  moral  influence  of  example,  comply  with  all  their 
customs,  imitate  the  style  of  their  eloquence,  and 
even  natter  them  for  the  possession  of  the  very  pro- 
pensities which  distinguish  them  as  savages.  So  far 
from  endeavouring  to  abolish  the  distinction  of  dress, 
we  furnish  them  annually  with  immense  quantities  of 
trinkets,  cloths,  and  blankets,  made  expressly  for  their 
use,  and  differing  essentially  from  any  thing  that  is 
worn,  or  even  sold,  in  our  country.  Wagon  loads  of 
the  most  childish  trinkets,  and  the  most  ridiculous 
toys,  are  annually  sent  as  presents  from  this  great 
and  benevolent  nation,  to  its  red  allies,  as  assurances 
of  the  very  profound  respect,  and  tender  affection, 
with  which  they  are  regarded  by  the  American  peo- 
ple. Immense  sums  of  money  are  also  given  them  in 
annuities — money  which  to  the  savage  is  totally  value- 
less, and  which  is  immediately  transferred  to  the 
trader  in  exchange  for  whiskey,  tobacco,  gunpowder, 
looking  glasses,  tin  bracelets,  and  ornaments  for  the 
nose. 

The  idea  of  elevating  the  character  of  the  Indian, 
and  softening  down  his  asperities,  by  pampering  his 
indolence,  and  administering  to  his  vanity,  is  supremely 
ridiculous.  The  march  of  mind  will  never  penetrate 
into  our  forests  by  the  beat  of  the  drum,  nor  will  civil- 
isation be  transmitted  in  bales  of  scarlet  cloth  and 
glass  beads.  This,  however,  is  the  natural  effect  of 
treating  with  the  Indians  in  their  own  country,  and 
carrying  our  trade  to  their  doors,  where  we  are  in 
some  measure  obliged  to  comply  with  their  customs, 
and  all  our  dealings  with  them  must  be  carried  on  by 


-ki:t<  DM  Of  Tin:  \vi>t.  119 

men  who  arc  not  amenable  to  our  laws,  nor  surrounded 
by  the  salutary  restraints  of  public  sentiment.     If,  on 
the  contrary,  the  Indian-  were  obliged  to  retort  to  our 
towns  to  supply  their  wants,  and  to  trade  with  regular 
dealers;  and  if  all  their  negotiations  with  our  govern- 
ment were  to  be   conducted  within   the   boundaries 
our  organised  governments,  they  would  not  only  be 
l>«tt»T  treated,  bat  would  be  brought  into  contact  with 
t  In"  most  intelligent  and  benevolent  of  our  citizens,  and 
imbibe  more  correct  notions  of  as  and  of  our  institutions. 
It'  any  reflecting  man  is  asked,  what  it  is  that  con- 
stitutes the  difference  between  the  American  people, 
and  the  nations  of  Europe,  and  why  we  are  enjoying 
peace  and  prosperity,  and  advancing  with  such  rapid 
strides  to  greatness,  he  refers  at  once  to  the  character 
of  our  government  and  people.     The  enterprise,  indus- 
try, temperance,  frugality,  republican  simplicity,  and 
correct  moral  principles  of  the  people,  and  the  equality 
of  rights  secured  to  them  in  their  social  compact,  are 
the    elements    of  their    respectability,   security,    and 
greatness.     Do  we  extend  these  rights  or  teach  ti 
virtues  to  the  Indian?     In  the  pageantry  of  the  coun- 
cils which  are  held  with  their  chiefs,  do  we  display 
that  simplicity  which  marks  our  intercourse  with  each 
other  1     Do  we  inculcate  frugality  by  presenting  them 
with  loads  of  gaudy  finery  ?    Do  we  teach  self-depend- 
ence, industry,  and  thrift,  by  supplying  their  necessi- 
ties and  encouraLriiiLr   their  idle  habits  ?     Do  we,  by 
any  systematic  exertion,  present  to  them  the  example 
of  our  virtues,  and  oiler  them  inducements  to  cultivate 
peace,  industry,  and  the  art-  I 

If  it   i-  asked  what   remedy  can  be  applied  to  thi^ 

10* 


114 


SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 


enormous  and  growing  evil,  we  reply  that  the  enquiry 
is  one,  to  our  minds,  of  easy  solution.  If  the  Indians 
are  our  dependents,  we  should  govern  them  as  depend- 
ents ;  if  they  are  our  equals,  admit  them  to  an  equalitv 
of  rights  ;  if  they  are  properly  subject  to  the  operation 
of  our  laws,  we  should  break  down  the  barrier  which 
separates  them  from  us,  bring  them  at  once  into  the 
bosom  of  the  republic,  and  extend  to  them  the  benefits, 
immunities,  and  privileges,  which  we  enjoy  ourselves. 
If  it  be  objected  that  they  are  independent  nations, 
and  that  we  cannot  in  good  faith  destroy  their  national 
integrity,  it  will  be  necessary  before  we  advance  any 
farther  in  our  argument,  to  examine  whether  the  fact 
be  so,  that  these  tribes  are  independent.  With  regard 
to  as  many  of  the  Indian  nations  as  have  by  solemn 
treaty  placed  themselves  under  our  ppotection,  given 
us  the  right  to  regulate  their  trade,  navigate  their 
rivers,  and  punish  their  people  in  our  courts,  and 
agreed  to  admit  no  white  man  of  any  nation  into  their 
country  without  our  license,  there  seems  to  be  but 
little  doubt.  Sovereign  nations  they  are  not,  for  they 
have  parted  with  all  the  highest  attributes  of  sove- 
reignty. If  we  refer  to  our  own  legislation,  it  will  be 
seen  that  this  is  not  confined  to  those  tribes  which 
have  by  treaty  submitted  themselves  to  our  jurisdic- 
tion. The  general  phrases  "  Indian"  and  "  Indian 
territory"  extend  the  operation  of  those  laws,  to  all 
the  country  lying  west  of  our  settlements,  and  to  all 
the  tribes  and  individuals,  within  that  region.  With 
what  propriety  can  we  now  pause  to  enquire  into  our 
right  of  sovereignty  over  those  tribes,  when  we  have 
already  exercised  that  sovereignty,  to  the  full  extent 
that  our  own  safety  or  interest  required  ?     If  to  pro- 


-Kin  ii  ■  of  Tii  ■  wp.st.  115 

i,  .t  or  aggrandise  oaraelTea  we  have  assumed  juris- 
diction, without  u  qualm  of  conscience,  shall  we 
become  squca mish,  when  called  upon  to  exercise  the 
Baaae  power  for  the  advantage  of  the  Indian?  The 
question  is  not  now  to  be  decided  whether  we  shall 
extinguish  the  independence  of  the  Indians,  because 
that  point  has  Long  since  been  settled,  and  we  haw 
by  purchase  <>r  by  conquest,  acquired  full  sovereignty. 
Panning  over  the  treaties  to  which  we  have  referred, 
and  which  speak  for  themselves,  it  may  be  necessary  t<> 
prove  those  assertions  of  power  made  by  us  in  various 
ways.  To  avoid  repetition  we  shall  pass  over  tin- 
statutes  above  referred  to,  and  to  which  the  intelligent 
reader  can  recur,  and  shall  proceed  to  notice  some 
other  assumptions  of  sovereignty  on  our  part. 

In  the  year  1783  Virginia  ceded  to  the  United 
►States  all  right,  title,  and  claim,  as  well  of  soil,  as 
jurisdiction,  to  that  region  which  was  afterwards 
called  the  Northwestern  Territory,  the  whole  of 
which  was  owned  and  occupied  by  the  Indians,  except 
a  few  spots  inhabited  by  the  French.  The  condition 
of  this  cession,  was  that  the  territory  so  ceded  should 
"  be  laid  out  and  formed  into  states,"  "  and  that  the 
states  so  formed  shall  be  distinct  republican  states, 
and  admitted  members  of  the  Federal  Union,  &c." 
To  this  treaty  the  Indian  tribes  were  not  parties,  and 
of  course  seem  not  to  have  been  recognised  as  having 
any  political  or  civil  rights.  Virginia  by  ceding,  and 
the  United  States  by  accepting,  both  "  soil  and  jurisdic- 
tion," and  both  parties  by  providing  for  the  erection 
of  republican  states  in  this  country,  deny  all  right  of 
sovereignty  in  the  aborigines  as  effectually  as  if  they 
had  done  so  by  express  words. 


116  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

Afterwards,  and  before  any  of  this  country  was 
purchased  from  the  Indians,  an  ordinance  was  passed 
for  its  government ;  and  although  it  is  provided  in  this 
act  that  the  Indians  shall  be  protected  in  their  "  pro- 
perty,  rights,  and  liberty,"  this  provision  is  not  broader 
than  that  made  in  favour  of  the  French  inhabitants  in 
the  deed  of  cession,  and  it  only  extends  to  the  people 
of  that  territory  the  same  "  indefeasible"  rights  which 
appertain  to  every  citizen  of  the  United  States.  The 
terms  used  apply  to  the  Indians  in  their  individual, 
not  in  their  national  capacity,  and  the  very  passing  of 
such  a  law  is  an  assumption  of  sovereignty,  which 
excludes  the  idea  of  any  power  existing  in  the  Indians 
to  protect  their  own  rights,  property,  and  liberty. 

Mr.  Jefferson,  in  a  letter  addressed  to  the  governor 
of  Indiana,  dated  February  27,  1803,  uses  the  follow- 
ing language  :-"  The  Cahokias  being  extinct,  we  are 
entitled  to  their  country  by  our  paramount  sovereignty. 
The  Peorias,  we  understand,  have  all  been  driven  from 
^  their  country,  and  we  might  claim  it  in  the  same  way." 
Without  multiplying  authorities  on  the  subject,  we 
have  quoted  enough  to  show,  that  we  claim  over  their 
country  a  "  paramount  sovereignty,"  and  have  extend- 
ed over  them  the  coercive  and  the  protective  power  of 
our  laws.      In  the  language  of  Judge  Marshall,  we 
hold  them  under  "  pupilage."     We  are  pursuing  the 
policy  of  an  unwise  parent,  who  supports  his  son  in 
idleness,  and  does  not  subject  him  to  discipline — who 
supplies    his  wants,   pampers  his   extravagance,   and 
rears  him  in  vicious  indolence,  without  teaching  him 
the  art  of  gaining  his  own  livelihood,  or  the  moral 
principles  necessary  to  regulate  his  conduct. 


-Kin  11  E9   OF  THE    V-  I  11" 


(H  liPTER  \  II. 


Political  rights  of  the  Indian  tri!>< Their  political  condition — 

Our  duty   toward-*   then — Suggestions  in    reference   to   their 
civilisation. 


The  country  beyond  the  Mississippi  is  of  vatt 
importance  to  the  American  people.  It  forms  at 
aveaanJ  the  western  boundary  of  our  population;  and 

i-  inhabited  by  hordes  of  savages,  who,  from  having 
been  OUT  equals,  our  allies,  our  enemies,  the  scourge 
and  terror  of  our  borders,  are  sinking  fast  into  a  state 
Of  illlbei  lie  deprmleiie\  .  \\  liiell   must   Soon   render  them 

the  marc  objects  of  our  compassion*  Already  their 
rights  have  become  so  questionable,  as  to  divide  the 

SfMDJaas  of  our  beat  and  wisest  men.  Not  that  an\ 
are  so  hold  as  to  deny  they  have  ant/  rights.  Par  be 
it  from  us,  at  least,  to  hint  that  such  a  thought  is 
seriously  entertained.  Their  claims  upon  us  are  high 
and  sacred  :  but  unfortunate!)  lor  them,  and  us,  the) 
are  undefined,  and  almost  imdafinabte.     How  shafl  we 

rtain  the  political  rights  of  those,  who  have  ne\ei 

apknowledged  any  international  law — whose  station  n 

not  fixed  bj  the  code  of  empire) — who  have  no  place 
in  the  family  of  nations  I  How  estimate  the  civil  con- 
dition of  those  whose  government  is,  if  we  mar  so 

express  it.  a  Byatematic  anarchy,  in  which  no  maxim, 
either  of  religion,  morality,  or  law,  is  admitted   to   he 


118  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

fundamental,  no  right  is  sacred  from  the  hand  of  vio- 
lence, no  personal  protection  ensured,  but  to  strength 
and  valour?  What  are  the  obligations  of  religion, 
justice,  or  benevolence,  towards  those  who  acknow- 
ledge neither  the  one  nor  the  other,  in  the  sense  that 
we  understand  these  terms  ?  How  shall  we  deal  with 
a  people,  between  whom  and  ourselves,  there  is  no 
community  of  language,  thought,  or  custom — no  reci- 
procity of  obligations — no  common  standard,  by  which 
to  estimate  our  relative  interests,  claims,  and  duties  ? 
These  are  questions  of  such  difficult  solution,  that  per- 
haps they  will  at  last  be  decided,  not  by  reason,  but 
by  power — as  the  gordian  knot  was  severed  by  the 
sword  of  the  conqueror. 

We  apprehend,  however,  that  the  agitation  of  some 
of  these  points  would  be  rather  curious  than  useful. 
It  can  be  of  little  benefit  to  the  Indian,  at  this  day,  to 
enquire  what  have  been  the  rights  that  he  has  forfeited 
by  his  own  misconduct,  lost  by  misconception,  or  sur- 
rendered to  the  hand  of  violence.  We  cannot  now 
place  him  in  the  condition  in  which  our  ancestors 
found  him,  but  must  deal  with  him  according  to  the 
circumstances  by  which  he  is  surrounded.  And  the 
question  now  is,  what,  in  the  present  condition  of  the 
Indian,  is  our  duty  to  him,  and  to  ourselves. 

In  the  first  place,  we  cannot  believe  that  the  mere 
fact,  that  a  wandering  horde  of  savages  are  in  the 
habit  of  traversing  a  particular  tract  of  the  country 
in  pursuit  of  game,  gives  to  them  the  ownership  and 
jurisdiction  of  the  soil,  as  sovereign  nations.  In  order 
to  sustain  such  a  claim,  it  should  be  shown  that  they 
have,  at  least,  definite  boundaries,  permanent  institu- 


uuncHse  or  thi  wist<  119 

lions,  and  the  power  to  protect  themsi  Ives,  and  enforce 
their   laws.     These   are    some   of  the   attributes   of 

nations.  To  make  a  tuition,  there  must  be  a  xorcrn- 
meni — a  In. ml  of  union  by  which  the  individual  cha- 
racter shall,  tor  civil  and  social  purposes,  he  merged 
in  that  of  the  body  politic  J  nnd  there  must  be  a  power 
somewhere,  to  make  and  to  enforce  laws.  Other 
nations  must  be  satisfied  that  there  is  a  permanent 
authority  which  has  the  right  to  represent,  and  the 
power  t<»  hind,  such  a  community,  by  treaty.  They 
must  he  satisfied,  that  then-  is  a  legal,  or  a  moral 
power,  sufficiently  strong  to  enforce  the  obligations  of 
justice,  and  that  then-  is  some  judicial  mode  of  investi- 
gating facts,  determining  questions  of  right,  and  settling 
principles.  In  short,  there  must  be  some  settled  prin- 
ciples, of  political  and  moral  action,  observed  alike  by 
the  people  and  their  rulers,  which  shall  govern  their 
intercourse  with  foreigners,  and  render  it  safe  and 
certain.  A  body  of  men,  merely  associated  together, 
for  present  security  and  convenience,  is  by  no  means 
a  nation.  Between  such  a  body,  and  a  great  empire 
in  the  full  exercise  of  all  the  attributes  of  sovereign 
power,  there  may  be  several  grades  of  the  social 
compact.  States  may  be  dependent  or  independent; 
the  people  may  govern  themselves,  or  they  mav 
acknowledge  a  master.  But  between  a  government 
and  no  government  there  is  but  one  line  ;  there  is  a 
clear  distinction  between  a  state,  and  a  mere  collec- 
tion of  individuals;  the  latter,  whatever  may  be  their 
separate  personal  rights,  cannot  have  collectively  any 
political  existence,  and  any  nation  in  whose  limits,  or 
upon  whose  borders,  they  may  happen  to  be,  has  a 


120  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

clear  right  to  extend  its  authority  over  them,  having 
regard  always  to  the  rights  of  other  nations. 

It  is  very  clear,  that  the  North  American  Indians 
have  at  this  time  no  regularly  organised  governments. 
They  have  no  foreign  intercourse,  no  trade,  no  revenue, 
nor  any  laws  for  the  protection  of  life,  liberty,  or 
property.  Even  the  subdivision  of  tribes  is  doubtful 
and  fluctuating.  They  are  separated  into  smaller,  or 
united  into  larger  bodies,  as  their  own  convenience,  or 
the  caprice  of  a  chief  may  dictate.  An  intelligent 
and  warlike  chief  may  amalgamate  many  of  these 
clans  together,  or  a  war  may  force  them  to  unite ;  but 
when  the  cause  which  binds  them  together  ceases,  or 
when  rival  warriors  contend  for  the  ascendancy,  they 
separate,  or  form  other  combinations.  In  the  narra- 
tion of  Long's  second  expedition,  we  find  that  the 
Dacotas  are  divided  into  fifteen  tribes,  and  the  writer 
observes,  "  almost  every  traveller,  who  has  visited  the 
Dacotas,  has  given  a  different  enumeration  of  their 
divisions ;  some  reckoning  but  seven,  while  others 
admit  as  many  as  twenty-one  tribes."  Again,  "  These 
form  two  great  divisions,  which  have  been  distinguished 
by  traders  into  the  names,  Gens  du  Lac,  and  Gens  du 
Large" — those  who  live  by  the  lake,  and  those  who 
roam  the  prairies.  In  this  instance,  it  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  ascertain  what  individuals  or  tribes  could  be 
classed  together  as  a  nation,  and  the  claim  of  any  por- 
tion, to  be  ranked  as  a  body  politic,  would,  in  legal 
phrase,  be  bad,  for  uncertainty. 

But  again,  there  is  a  general  movement  throughout 
the  civilised  world  in  favour  of  liberal  thought,  free 
principles,  and  the  dissemination  of  knowledge.    Every 


-K  I  r<  BH    OF    in  I     U  i  121 

■  rnmenl  in  Europe  is  now  trembling  and  man}  of 
them  convulsed  with  actual  revolution,  in  consequence 
of  the  universal  spread  of  intelligence  among  the 
people.  The  contest  between  ignorance  and  light; 
and  between  despotism  and  liberty,  is  Lr«»ing  forward 
throughout  Christendom.  Everj  where  the  spirit  of 
improyemeni  is  abroad;  and  the  torn  spirit  pervades 
all  ranks,  and  even  department  of  human  thought  and 
industry.  In  religion,  politics,  literature,  and  the 
mechanic  arts,  men  have  resolved  to  think  for  them- 
selves.  Thej  will  neither  be  machines  to  do  the 
work  that  steam-engines  can  do  for  them;  nor  will 
they  be  the  slaves  of  idle,  nor  the  instruments  of  artful 
rulers,  in  church  or  state.  Ours  is  moreover  an  eco- 
nomical age.  when  Dotbing  is  valued  that  is  not  useful 
and  practical,  and  when  no  value  is  placed  upon  mere 
names.  Under  these  circumstances,  we  cannot  believe 
that  a  people,  such  as  we  are,  can  deliberately  propose 
to  consign  a  vast  region  to  eternal  sterility,  and  to 
support  a  multitude  of  human  beings  in  idleness,  igno- 
rant*?, intemperance  and  bloodshed.  We  are  not  so 
wedded  to  names  as  to  believe  that  we  are  obliged  to 
keep  up  a  state  of  things  which  we  know  to  be  wrong 
and  impolitic,  merely  because  it  exists,  and  has  existed  ; 
nor  can  we  adopt  the  maxims  of  legitimacy  so  far  as  to 
feel  ourselves  bound  to  respect  that  which  has  nothing 
to  recommend  it  hut  its  long  continuance,  and  nothing 
to  support  it  hut  the  prejudices  of  ignorant,  and  the 
selfishness  of  interested,  individuals. 

To  come  at  once  to  the  point,  we  believe  that  it  is 
the  duty  of  our  government,  to  take  the  Indians  directly 
under   its  own  control  as  subjects.     Divided  as  they 

vol.  i — 11 


122  SKETCHES    OF    THE    WEST. 

are  into  hostile  tribes,  torn  by  dissentions  and  feuds, 
hunted  down  by  each  other,  and  pillaged  by  unprinci- 
pled traders ;  too  ignorant  to  form,  and  too  weak  to 
support  local  governments ;  without  commerce,  agri- 
culture, arts,  education,  or  any  of  the  means  of  social 
comfort,  or  intellectual  improvement,  it  is  mere  folly 
to  consider  them  as  separate  independent  governments. 
With  far  more  reason  might  Algiers  have  been  re- 
garded as  a  sovereign  state  ;  for  it  had  a  government, 
a  capital,  a  commerce,  a  marine,  and  a  definite  terri- 
tory.    Yet  no  one  has  contended  that  it  was  unjust  or 
cruel  in  the  French,  to  blot  out  a  despotism,  that  was 
an  abomination  in  the  eyes  of  civilised  men,  and  to 
establish  forcibly  a  regular  government  in  the  room  of 
barbarism.     We  have  less  to  do,  because  the  Indians 
are  already  under  our  care,  have  acknowledged  our 
authority,  and  are  dependent  on  us  for  protection ;  and 
their   proximity   to   our   borders   obliges  us,   in  self- 
defence,  to  govern  them.    The  highest  judicial  tribunal 
of  our  country  has  decided  that  they  are  under  our 
"  pupilage,"   the  executive,  and  legislative  powers  of 
our  government  have  long  ago  made  the  same  deci- 
sion,  by   the   exertion  of  authority  over   them,   and 
public  sentiment  in  sanctioning  these  acts,  has  ratified 
the  general  proposition,  that  they  are  not  independent 
nations.  If,  then,  they  are  in  fact,  not  independent,  why 
persevere  in  the  mockery  of  calling  them  so  ?    Would 
there  be  any  immorality  in  abolishing  a  mere  fiction, 
and  doing  openly,  that  which  we  have  been  practising 
all  along,   covertly  1     If  we   do   in  fact   govern  the 
Indians,  why  not  lay  bare  the  arm  of  justice,  assert 
our  authority,  exert  it  to  its  full,  legitimate  extent,  and 


-KETCHES    OF    THE    WT- I  .  123 

force  them  to  acknowledge  and  obey  it  1  If  it  is  for 
the  good  of  the  Indian  that  all  this  should  be  done,  we 
apprehend  that  there  is  no  maxim  of  justice  or  mo- 
rality, which  would  forbid  it. 

There  is  no  question,  that  any  other  government 
than  ours,  similarly  situated,  would  long  since  have 
openly  taken  the  Indian  tribes  under  it.s  authority. 
An  amiable,  an  honourable,  a  magnanimous  sentiment 
of  forbearance,  an  unwillingness  to  do  that  which 
might  bear  the  slightest  semblance  of  injustice,  has 
dictated  the  course  that  we  have  pursued.  It  is  now 
ascertained  to  have  been  a  mistaken  policy,  but  we 
are  far  from  branding  it  with  the  name  of  weakness. 
The  experiment  was  worth  trying.  The  sacred 
relation  in  which  we  stood  in  regard  to  the  rest  of  the 
world,  and  the  principles  which  we  had  assumed  as 
the  basis  of  our  government,  made  it  proper  for  us  to 
act  with  great  caution  on  a  question  supposed  to 
involve  the  right  of  self-government  in  another  people. 
But  the  time  for  that  delicacy  has  passed  away.  As 
regards  the  Indians  we  have  crossed  the  Rubicon ;  and 
to  the  world,  we  have  given  such  an  exposition  of  our 
principles,  that  our  conduct  in  this  matter  will  not 
now  be  misunderstood.  The  acts  and  the  professions 
of  our  government  have  shown  throughout,  that  our 
intentions  towards  the  Indians  were  humane  and  just, 
and  if  the  system  under  which  that  benevolence  has 
been  dispensed,  has  proved  to  be  not  only  inefficient, 
but  absolutely  pernicious  to  us  and  to  them,  it  is  our 
privilege,  and  our  duty  to  change  it. 

At  present  they  have  no  government,  and  whether 
they  ever   had  any  is  doubtful.     John  Tanner,  who 


124  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

resided  among  the  Ojibeway  Indians  for  thirty  years, 
and  who  hunted  and  traveled  extensively  among  the 
tribes  who  inhabit  the  shores  of  the  upper  lakes,  does 
not,  in  his  whole  narrative,  refer  to  any  thing  like  a 
government.  He  does  not  mention  the  name  of  a 
ruling  chief,  nor  does  he  detail  a  single  instance  of 
the  exertion  of  sovereign  authority.  It  is  very  clear 
that  there  is  no  government,  among  all  those  tribes. 
There  are  divisions  into  tribes  it  is  true,  but  these  are 
large  families,  rather  than  nations,  for  the  distinctions 
are  those  of  blood,  not  of  country  or  government. 
Tanner  himself  never  acknowledged  any  superior,  nor 
considered  himself  as  belonging  to  any  particular 
body,  though  he  called  himself  an  Ojibeway.  Among 
his  tribe  were  many  leaders.  A  man  who  became 
distinguished  as  a  warrior,  or  hunter,  was  resorted  to 
by  others,  who  became  his  followers,  remained  with 
him  as  long  as  he  was  successful,  and  dispersed  when- 
ever he  experienced  a  reverse,  or  whenever  game 
grew  scarce.  These  combinations  seldom  last  more 
than  one  season ;  and  the  same  chief  who  now  com- 
mands a  hundred  warriors,  will  perhaps  spend  his 
next  year  in  hunting  at  some  solitary  spot  by  himself, 
or  be  wandering  about  at  the  head  of  a  little  band 
composed  of  his  own  relatives.  In  the  next  great 
war,  or  hunting  party,  he  may  be  first,  second,  or 
third,  in  rank,  or  have  no  rank,  just  as  it  happens. 
Speaking  of  one  of  their  large  war  parties,  Mr.  Tanner 
says,  "  on  this  occasion,  men  were  assembled  from  a 
vast  extent  of  country,  of  dissimilar  feelings  and  dia- 
lects, and  of  the  whole  fourteen  hundred,  not  one  who 
would  acknowledge  any  authority  superior  to  his  own 


SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST.  125 

will.  It  is  true  that  ordinarily  they  yield  a  certain 
deference,  and  a  degree  of  obedience  to  the  chief  each 

may  have  undertaken  to  follow;  hut  this  obedience,  in 
most  instances,  continues  do  Longer  than  the  will  of 
the  chief  corresponds  entirely  with  the  inclination-  of 
those  be  beads."  This  is  their  situation  at  this  time, 
and  Governor  Cass  has  recorded  his  opinion,  "that 
in  all  the  essential  features  of  character  and  condi- 
tion, this  branch  of  the  human  family  has  been  as 
stationary  as  any  whose  records  are  known  to  u-\" 

We  do  not  deny  that  in  some  of  the  more  southern 
tribes,  the  power  of  the  chief  La  more  permanent,  and 
the  existence  of  the  tribe  more  definite,  than  among 
the  borderers  of  the  North  Western  lakes;  but  their 
notions  of  government,  of  personal  rights,  and  of  the 
social  relation  are  similar,  though  not  identical  ;  and 
our  argument  is  as  applicable  to  them  as  to  others. 

The  plan  that  we  would  propose,  would  be  to  divide 
the  whole  Indian  territory,  into  as  many  districts  as 
could  be  conveniently  arranged,  so  that  each  might 
be  brought  under  the  subjection  of  a  governor.  Go- 
vernors should  be  placed  over  them,  with  ample 
powers,  and  with  a  sufficient  military  force,  to  make 
themselves  obeyed.  The  Indians  should  be  told,  at 
once,  that  they  are  not  independent,  and  that  we 
intend  to  protect  and  rule  them  ;  that  they  must  cease 
entirely  from  war.,  and  from  wandering  at  all,  into  the 
territories  of  their  neighbours.  A  council  to  be 
selected  by  them,  composed  of  a  few  of  their  chief 
men,  should  assist  the  governor  in  making  laws. 
which  should  be  few,  brief,  and  simple.  The  Indian 
agents,  the  annuities,  the   presents,  and  the  trader-. 

11* 


126  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

should  all  be  withdrawn.  No  white  man  should  reside, 
or  remain  in  the  Indian  country,  but  the  governor  and 
his  subordinates.  No  Indian  should  be  permitted  to 
trade  with  a  white  man,  within  the  Indian  country. 

Instead  of  preventing  the  Indians  from  coming  into 
our  country  to  trade,  they  should  be  encouraged  to  do 
so,  as  this  would  be  one  of  the  most  effectual  means 
of  enabling  them  to  learn  our  language,  and  adopt  our 
customs.  They  should  be  encouraged  to  build  houses, 
and  to  own  cattle,  hogs,  and  poultry.  It  should  be 
distinctly  understood  that  the  government  would  not 
supply  them  with  food  or  clothing.  The  annuities 
which  we  are  bound  by  treaty  to  pay,  would  have  to 
be  paid :  but  all  other  gratuities  should  be  withheld. 
The  consequences  would  be,  that  the  Indians  would 
soon  become  an  indolent  pastoral  people.  They  would 
not  at  first  become  an  industrious,  agricultural  people  : 
that  change  would  be  too  violent.  They  would  first 
grow  lazy  and  harmless.  Prevented  from  going  to 
war,  they  would  lose  their  warlike  habits.  Their 
cattle  would  soon  increase  to  large  herds,  and  abundance 
of  food  would  lessen  the  necessity  of  their  hunting. 

Their  almost  frantic  passion  for  ardent  spirits  would 
be  decreased  by  the  same  means,  for  we  have  no  doubt, 
that  one  of  the  causes  of  their  attachment  to  it  is,  that 
it  deadens  the  painful  sense  of  hunger  which  among 
them  is  constitutional.  An  Indian,  like  a  wolf,  is 
always  hungry,  and  of  course  is  always  ferocious.  In 
order  to  tame  him,  the  sense  of  hunger  must  be  re- 
moved ;  it  is  useless  to  attempt  to  operate  on  the 
mind,  while  the  body  is  in  a  state  of  suffering.  It  is 
well  ascertained  that  the  Indian,  is,  for  about  half  his 


BKJ  i  •  ii  I  -  "i    i  in:  \\  BST.  1'JT 

lime,  destitute  of  food,  and  obliged  eitbei  to  endure 
the  pangs  of  hunger,  <>r  to  use  the  meet  arduous  i 
bona  to  procure  provisions.     The  attempt  to  civili 
human  being  thus  circumstanced  is  preposterous.     To 
be  satisfied  of  this,  it  is  only  aeeesBarj  to  read  uTan« 
Bar's  Narrative,"  whkh  was  carefully  prepared  by  one 
who  was  capable  of  understanding  the  exact  meaning 
of  the  relator,  and  stating   ii   with  clearness.      His 
wh<»lo  thirty  years  among  the  Indians,  were  Bpenl  in 
active   exertions    to    get   something    to   eat.      Few 
solemnities,   and   fewer  amusements,  arc   Bpoken   <»f 
throughout  the  volume :  whenever  a  number  of  Indians 
collected  together,  they  were  presently  dispersed  by 
hunger.     To   live    three,   tour,   or  five  days,  without 
eating  was  not  uncommon.     Sometimes  they  subsisted 
for  weeks,  upon  a  little  bear's  grease,  sometimes  they 
chewed    their   oaocaainsj  and    peltries.      Often    thai 
were  reduced  to  eat  their  dogs,  or  to  subsist  tor  whole 
days  upon  the  inner  hark  of  trees.     Stealing,  biding 
food  from  each  other,  and  every  species  of  rapacity 
and  meanness,  became  the  consequence  :  and  this   La 
not  the  tale  of  one  day,  or  one  year,  or  a  single  trine, 
but  the  disgusting  burthen  of  a  story  which  compre- 
hends a  series  of  years,  and  describes  the  people  of  a 
whole  region.     As  the  procuring  of  food  is  the  great 
object  of  their  lives,  the  moment  that  object  is  remov- 
ed, the  mind,  relieved  of  its   burthen,  will  either  turn 
nergies  in  some  other  direction,  or  sink  to  repose. 
The  latter  is  the  most  probable  consequence. 

At  present  the  Indians  are  prevented  from  keeping 
live  stock,  or  making  any  permanent  provision  for  the 
future,   by  the  insecurity  of  the   lives  they  lead.      A 


128  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

friend  of  ours,  who  asked  a  Saukie,  "  why  do  you  not 
build  houses  to  put  your  corn  in,  as  we  do,  instead  of 
burying  it  in  the  ground,  and  getting  so  much  of  it 
wasted  ?"  was  answered,  "  if  we  put  our  corn  in 
houses,  the  Winnebagoes  would  come  in  the  winter, 
and  kill  us  to  get  it."  If  they  were  asked  why  they 
keep  no  domestic  animals  about  them,  except  dogs 
and  horses,  the  reply  would  be  similar.  They  build 
no  houses,  make  no  fields,  nor  any  provision  for  a  per- 
manent residence,  and  all  for  the  same  reason — pro- 
perty of  any  description,  would  tempt  the  rapacity  of 
their  enemies.  Security  is  only  found  in  poverty,  and 
swiftness  of  foot,  and  in  their  happiest  state,  they  are 
always  prepared  for  instant  flight.  We  repeat,  that 
the  attempt  to  civilise  such  a  people  is  absurd.  We 
have  begun  at  the  wrong  end.  Their  habits  must  be 
first  changed,  and  their  physical  wants  supplied,  before 
any  effect  can  be  produced  on  their  minds  and  hearts. 
The  proposition  is  well  understood,  as  applied  to  our- 
selves, that  security  of  person  and  property,  is  the 
basis  of  all  our  rights,  and  is  the  chief  cause  of  all  our 
civilisation.  Why  should  not  the  converse  of  that 
proposition  be  true  of  the  Indians :  that  the  insecurity 
of  property,  or  rather  the  entire  absence  of  all  ideas 
of  property,  is  the  chief  cause  of  their  barbarism. 
We  apprehend  then,  that  the  chain  of  causes  by  which 
the  condition  of  this  unhappy  race  must,  if  at  all,  be 
ameliorated,  will  be  interwoven  in  something  like  the 
following  order ;  first,  personal  security,  by  the  entire 
abolition  of  war,  among  them;  secondly,  permanent  habi- 
tations, and  thirdly,  notions  of  property.  Let  these 
three  things  be  accomplished,  and  the  work  is  done. 


BEMTi  hes  OF  Tin:  w  i>r.  1  20 

Let   the  Indiana  l>e  settled   in   fixed   residences,  be 
secure,  and  begin  to  own  property,  and  the  rest  will 

succeed  as   certainly   as    cause  and    effect.      Ideas  of 
comfort  and  order  will  Bpring  up  <»f  themselves. 

There  are  several  reasons,  why  the  Indians  ought 
to  trade  with  us  only  in  our  country.  They  would 
learn  our  language,  see  our  customs,  imbibe  our 
opinions,  and  especially  would  get  definite  ideas  of 
the  value  of  different  articles  of  propert\.  They 
would  be  induced  to  purchase  articles  of  dress  and 
ornament,  such  as  are  worn  by  us,  until  by  degrees 
their  appearance  would  be  assimilated  to  ours.  Imper- 
ceptibly they  would  fall  into  the  use  of  many  articles, 
of  which  they  are  now  ignorant ;  such  as  mechanical 
tools,  culinary  utensils,  and  farming  implements. 
Every  such  article,  thus  adopted,  would  be  a  messen- 
ger of  civilisation.  But  the  most  important  end  to  be 
gained,  would  be  the  protection  of  the  savage  from 
imposition.  Humanity  shudders  at  the  recital  of  the 
nefarious  acts  practised  by  the  white  traders  upon  the 
Indians.  Yet  not  the  half  of  them  are  known  or 
dreamt  of  by  the  American  people.  We  refer  again 
to  Mr.  Tanner's  narrative,  which  every  man  who 
has  a  vote  on  this  subject  ought  to  read.  Here  we 
find  the  traders  sometimes  taking  by  force,  from  an 
Indian,  the  produce  of  a  whole  year's  hunt,  without 
making  him  any  return,  sometimes  pilfering1  a  portion 
while  buying  the  remainder,  and  still  oitener  wresting 
from  the  poor  wretches,  while  in  a  state  of  intoxica- 
tion, a  valuable  property,  for  an  inadequate  remunera- 
tion. In  one  place  our  author  tells  of  an  Indian 
woman,  his  adopted  mother,  who,  "  in  the  course  of  a 


130  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

single  day,  sold  one  hundred  and  twenty  beaver  skins, 
with  a  large  quantity  of  buffalo  robes,  dressed  and 
smoked  skins,  and  other  articles /or  rum."  He  pathe- 
tically adds,  "  of  all  our  large  load  of  peltries,  the  pro- 
duce of  so  many  days  of  toil,  of  so  many  long  and  diffi- 
cult journeys,  one  blanket,  and  three  kegs  of  rum  only 
remained,  besides  the  poor  and  almost  worn  out  clothing 
on  our  bodies."  The  sending  of  missionaries,  to  labour 
by  the  side  of  the  miscreants  who  thus  swindle,  and 
debauch  the  ignorant  savage,  is  a  mockery  of  the  office, 
and  a  waste  of  the  time,  of  those  valuable  men.  If 
the  Indians  traded  within  our  states,  with  our  regular 
traders,  the  same  laws,  and  the  same  public  sentiment 
which  protects  us,  would  protect  them. 

The  missionary  operations,  among  the  roving  tribes 
have  heretofore  proved  entirely  nugatory.  When  we 
are  told  of  what  has  been  done  among  the  Cherokees, 
the  Choctaws,  and  other  southern  Indians,  the  view 
that  is  given  of  the  case  is  partially  deceptive — not 
intentionally  untrue,  but  delusive,  to  some  degree  in 
point  of  fact,  and  entirely  as  regards  the  causes,  to 
which  the  degree  of  civilisation  which  exists,  is  attri- 
buted. In  the  first  place,  it  should  be  understood  that 
the  civilisation  which  exists,  is  most  perceptible  among 
the  half-breeds,  and  has  affected  the  full-blooded 
Indians,  in  a  very  slight  degree.  Again,  so  far  as 
their  habits  have  been  changed,  the  effect  has  been 
produced  by  the  very  causes  which  we  have  ventured 
to  suggest  as  essential.  They  have  been  separated 
from  other  tribes,  surrounded  by  the  whites,  restrained 
from  war,  and  confined  to  their  own  hunting  grounds. 
They  were  perfectly  secure,  as  far  as  their  persons 


-ki:n  in.-  09  mi:  w  i>  i  .  181 

were  concerned:  and  the  whites  who  Bettled  among 
them,  and  married  squaws,  introduced  notions  of  pro- 
perty, and  became  themselves  wealthy.  Their  pre- 
judices and  peculiarities  being  thus  blunted,  and  their 
habits  in  Borne  degree  softened,  the  way  was  open  to 
the  missionary,  who  must  always  ./b&wr,  and  not  pre- 
the  march  of  civilisation. 

But  the  attempt  to  civilise  the  roving  hands,  by 
iu  by  the  mere  fovce  of  truth,  by  any  effect  on 
the  mind,  has  always  exclusively  been,  and  will  con- 
tinue to  be,  abortive.  The  physical  impediments 
must  first  be  removed.  Among  white  men,  has  Chris- 
tianity, literature,  or  the  arts,  ever  flourished,  during 
a  period  of  civil  war,  or  anarchy  7  In  a  period  of 
military  misrule,  when  martial  virtues  were  alone 
smed,  have  the  arts  of  peace  ever  flourished?  In 
those  countries  where  the  peasantry  are  oppressed, 
and  have  no  rights,  property,  or  education,  are  they 
not  degraded  and  ferocious?  If  we  trace  the  savage 
hands  of  Europe,  from  their  former  state  of  barbarism, 
to  their  present  moral  elevation,  we  shall  find  the 
same  causes  always  to  have  operated.  The  first  step 
has  alwa\  s  been  the  acquisition  of  permanent  habita- 
tions, and  the  consequent  love  of  country  and  of  home. 
The  poea  ssion  of  property,  and  civil  rights  next  fol- 
lowed. Then  emancipation  from  their  chiefs,  and 
political  rights  began  to  be  demanded.  The  state  of 
war  became  inconvenient.  Commerce  between  nations 
softened  prejudice-,  produced  the  interchange  of  com- 
modities, encouraged  the  arts,  and  enlarged  the  stock 
of  knowledge. 

The  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  school  teacher,  have 


132  SKETCHES    OF    THE    WEST. 

been  powerful  agents  in  all  these  changes ;  but  they 
have  never  marched  in  the  van.  They  form  powerful 
corps  in  the  main  body,  but  their  business  is  to  secure 
and  improve  the  acquisitions,  which  bone  and  muscle, 
and  courage  and  skill,  have  obtained.  As  the  rifle 
and  the  axe  must  subdue  the  forest,  before  the  hus- 
.bandman  can  cultivate  the  soil,  so  must  the  strong 
arm  of  the  nation,  produce  peace,  enforce  obedience, 
and  organise  a  system  of  civil  rights  and  restraints, 
before  the  mild  precepts  of  the  gospel,  and  the  fructi- 
fying streams  of  knowledge,  can  be  made  to  pervade 
the  wilderness,  and  to  teach  the  desert  to  blossom  as 
the  rose. 

This  subject  might  be  illustrated  by  many  examples 
from  history,  by  a  variety  of  facts  now  in  existence, 
and  a  long  train  of  argument.  But  we  are  admonish- 
ed that  it  has  already  occupied  as  much  space  as  it  is 
proper  to  devote  to  one  topic,  in  such  a  work  as  ours. 
We  are  satisfied  with  having  thrown  out  a  few  of  the 
prominent  points  of  our  view  of  the  case.  Others, 
who  feel  interested,  can  pursue  the  investigation  at 
their  leisure.  It  must  soon  occupy  the  serious  atten- 
tion of  the  government,  and  the  people ;  and  when  all 
the  facts  shall  be  presented,  in  a  connected  view,  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  present  system  of  Indian  rela- 
tions, must  be  radically  changed,  or  wholly  abandoned; 
and  the  question  to  be  decided  will  be,  whether  the 
savage  tribes  shall  be  driven  beyond  our  frontiers,  and 
left  to  their  fate,  or  be  subjected  to  the  wholesome 
constraint  of  our  laws.  The  indolent  and  the  timid 
may  shrink  from  the  latter  alternative,  because  it  is 
novel,  and  bears  the  semblance  of  violene,  but  humanity 


-KETCHES    OF    THE    WEST.  139 

shudders  at  the  former.  The  statements  of  the  inte- 
rested] or  the  apprehensions  of  honest  prejudice,  may 
embarrass  the  decision;  but  a  magnanimous  people 
will  hear  the  evidence  on  both  sides,  and  we  have  no 
fears  as  to  the  wisdom  or  the  integrity  of  the  nation, 
in  any  case,  where  its  verdict  shall  be  deliberately 
made  up,  and  solemnly  recorded. 


VOL.    I 12 


PART  II. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    FRENCH    SETTLEMENT? 


CHAPTER  I. 


First  explorers — Discovery  of  the  Mississippi — French  missiona- 
ries— La  Salle's  voyages — Settlements  on  the  Mississippi — 
Manners  of  the  French  colonists — Kaskaskia — Fort  Chartres. 

The  French,  who  first  explored  the  beautiful  shores 
of  the  Mississippi,  and  its  tributary  streams,  believed 
they  had  found  a  terrestrial  paradise.  Delighted  with 
this  extensive  and  fertile  region,  they  roamed  far  and 
wide  over  its  boundless  prairies,  and  pushed  their 
little  barks  into  every  navigable  stream.  Their  in- 
offensive manners  procured  them  every  where  a  fa- 
vourable reception ;  their  cheerfulness  and  suavity 
conciliated  even  the  savage  warrior,  whose  suspicious 
nature  discovered  no  cause  of  alarm  in  the  visits  of 
these  gay  strangers.  Divided  into  small  parties, 
having  each  a  separate  object,  they  pursued  their 
several  designs  without  concert,  and  with  little  colli- 
sion. One  sought  wealth,  and  another  fame  ;  one 
came  to  discover  a  country,  another  to  collect  rare 


-ki  r«  u\  -  or  the  «  m  185 

and  nondescript  spei  [mens  of  natural  curiosities;  one 

traveled  to  Bee  man  in  a  state  of  nature,  another 
brought  the  i^xpel  to  the  heathen:  while  the  greater 
Dumber  roved  carelessly  among  those  interesting 
scenes  indulging  their  curiosity  and  their  love  of  ad- 

'DO 

venture  and  seeking  n<»  higher  gratification  than  that 
which    the    novelty  and   excitement    of   the  pre* 
moment  afforded* 

The  adventurers  of  no  other  nation  have  ever  pene- 
1    so  far,  oi  ■   into  the  interior  of  a 

newly  discovered  country.  The  father-  of  New 
England  were  circumscribed  to  narrow  boundaries,  on 
the  sterile  shores  of  the  Atlantic  :  the  first  settlers  of 
Virginia  were  equally  unfortunate.  The  gallant 
Raleigh  barely  effected  a  landing  for  his  colony,  on 
the  shores  of  North  Carolina;  even  the  indefatigable 
William  Peon,  several  years  after  the  settlement  of 
Pennsylvania,  speaks  of  the  Delaware  as  a  "  glorious 
river:"  but  is  wholly  unacquainted  with  its  extent  and 
character.  The  unsuccessful  attempts  of  British 
travellers,  stimulated  by  the  highest  rewards  of  ambi- 
tion and  avarice,  to  penetrate  the  continent  of  Africa, 
are  well  known.  The  Spaniards  traversed  the  plains 
of  South  America,  only  by  force  of  arms* 

We  read,  therefore,  with  a  surprise  bordering  on 
incredulity,  of  the  adventurous  voyages  of  the  French. 
Small  parties,  and  even  single  individuals,  explored 
the  shores  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  its  mighty  chain 
of  tributary   lakes,  inhabited   by  the    most  _<■    of 

the  Indian  tribes*  While  the  whole  American  con- 
tinent  waa  yei  a  wilderness,  and  it  was  an  unsettled 
point  among  Christian  nations,  to  whom  the  honour  of 


136  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

its  conquest  should  belong ;  the  French  priests  ascend- 
ed the  Mississippi,  from  its  mouth  to  the  Falls  of 
St.  Anthony,  a  distance  of  three  thousand  miles, 
and  explored  the  Arkansas,  the  Ohio,  the  Wabash, 
the  Illinois,  the  Wisconsin,  and  other  large  tributa- 
ries. Not  only  did  they  pass  with  impunity, 
but  were  received  with  hospitality,  and  entertained 
with  marks  of  distinguished  respect ;  the  fat  hump 
of  the  buffalo  was  dressed  for  them  ;  and  troops  of 
beautiful  Indian  girls  stood  around  them,  waving  the 
golden  plumes  of  the  paroquet  over  their  heads,  to 
keep  the  uncivilised  musquitoes  from  biting  them  as 
they  slept. 

It  is  difficult,  at  this  day,  to  determine  to  whom 
should  be  awarded  the  honour  of  having  discovered 
this  beautiful  section  of  our  country.  That  the  mate- 
rials for  an  accurate  history  of  its  first  exploration 
and  settlement,  are  in  existence,  we  are  well  aware ; 
and  there  is  reason  to  believe,  that,  in  addition  to 
what  is  already  known,  there  is  a  vast  deal  of  docu- 
mentary  evidence  remaining  unpublished,  or  inaccessi- 
ble to  the  English  reader.  The  missionaries,  who 
were  always  men  of  some  literary  acquirement,  and 
often  possessed  considerable  learning,  accompanied 
the  first  French  explorers.  So  far  as  their  characters 
can  now  be  ascertained,  they  seem  to  have  been 
amiable  and  zealous  men,  earnestly  bent  on  spreading 
the  doctrines  of  the  cross.  Unlike  the  Spanish  priests, 
who  were  avaricious,  blood-thirsty,  and  always  fore- 
most in  subjugating  or  destroying. the  Indians,  we  find 
them  invariably  conciliating  the  natives,  and  endea- 
voring to  allure  them  to  the  arts  of  peace.     The  only 


-KETCHES  OF  THE  WEST.  1  37 

departure  from  this  policy,  on  their  pan.  Lb  found  in 
the  practice,  which  they  doubtless  sanctioned,  and 
which  was  pursued  by  both  French  and  English,  of 
arming  the  savages  in  the  colonial  wars. 

The  French  missionaries,  therefore,  wrote  with 
less  prejudice  than  most  of  the  early  adventurers  to 
Ainerica;  and  t  li«ir  accounts  of  the  country  are  the 
result  of  accurate  personal  observation.  They  had 
fewer  insults  to  resent  than  others;  and  their  state- 
ments  are  more  candid,  because,  in  general,  they 
were  intended  only  for  the  perusal  of  their  superiors. 
True,  their  writings  are  imbued  with  exaggerations. 
Ardent  in  their  temperament,  and  deeply  tinctured 
with  the  superstitions  which  at  that  time  pervaded 
Christendom,  they  hastily  adopted  the  marvelous  tales 
of  the  natives,  and  have  transmitted  some  curious 
fictions  to  posterity.  But  all  history  is  liable  to  the 
same  objection ;  and  the  writings  of  the  persons  to 
whom  we  allude,  being  now  the  only  records  of  the 
early  settlement  of  our  country,  are  as  valuable  as 
they  are  interesting.  Some  of  them  have  been  pub- 
lished, but,  doubtless,  there  yet  remain  in  the  public 
depositories  of  France,  and  in  the  monastic  institu- 
tions of  that  country,  a  mass  of  reports  and  letters,  in 
manuscript,  which  might  shed  additional  light  on  this 
portion  of  our  national  history.  For  the  present,  we 
must  content  ourselves  with  the  few  but  precious 
morsels  of  this  ancient  lore,  which  have  been  rescued 
from  oblivion.  But  we  hope  that  the  day  is  not  far 
distant,  when  those  who  rule  our  nation,  instead  of 
spending  month  after  month,  and  million  after  million, 
in    the    discussion    of  worse    than   useless   questions, 

i2« 


138  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

tending  only  to  the  gratification  of  personal  ambition, 
will  consult  the  true  honour  of  the  country,  by  ex- 
pending a  portion  of  its  treasure  in  the  developement 
of  its  history  and  moral  resources.  Whenever  that 
time  shall  arrive,  we  hope  to  see  an  effort  made  for 
the  recovery  of  these  invaluable  memorials  of  a  past 
age.  There  is  one  distinguished  individual  in  the 
national  cabinet,  whose  pen  has  been  successfully 
employed  on  these  subjects,  to  whose  researches  into 
Indian  and  French  colonial  history,  the  national  lite- 
rature is  largely  indebted,  and  from  whose  influence, 
should  it  be  equal  to  his  zeal  and  merits,  we  may 
expect  much. 

We  shall  not  trace  the  adventurous  footsteps  of 
Jacques  Cartier,  the  first  European  explorer  of  Lower 
Canada,  who  ascended  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  island 
of  Montreal,  in  the  year  1535,  nearly  three  centuries 
ago.  Nor  shall  we  attempt  to  follow  the  heroic 
Champlain,  who  planted  and  sustained,  on  the  shores 
of  the  St.  Lawrence,  the  infant  colony  which  was 
destined  to  people  that  extensive  region.  But  a  few 
years  elapsed,  after  the  French  had  gained  a  foothold 
upon  the  continent,  before  we  find  them  pushing  their 
discoveries  towards  the  most  remote  tributaries  of  the 
St.  Lawrence.  The  Indian  birch  canoe,  which  they 
adopted,  and  in  the  management  of  which  they  soon 
acquired  unrivaled  skill,  afforded  remarkable  facilities 
for  these  long  and  painful  journeys ;  for  these  little 
vessels  combine  so  remarkably  the  properties  of 
strength  and  lightness,  that  while  they  are  capable  of 
transporting  heavy  burthens,  and  of  making  long  and 
dangerous  voyages,  they  can,  when  unladen,  be  car- 


skim  EOS  "•'  Tin:  wi>r.  139 

ried  with  ease  upon  the  shoulders  of  men.  They  are 
propeled  by  oars,  through  the  water,  with  astonishing 
swiftness,  and  when  the  stream  is  impeded  by  any 
impassable  obstacle,  the)  are  unloaded,  carried  over 
land  to  the  nearest  navigable  point,  and  again  launch- 
ed in  their  elem 

The  principal  trade  of  Canada  was  carried  on  in 
these  frail  boats  for  two  centuries  j  and  it  i-  interesting 
to  observe,  in  an  invention  so  simple,  and  so  apparently 
msignincant,  an  illustration  of  the  important  aid  which 
may  be  afforded  by  the  mechanical  arts,  to  political 
and  moral  power.  The  birch  canoe  was  to  the 
French,  not  only  what  the  steamboat  is  to  us,  enabling 
them  to  navigate  the  lakes  and  rivers  of  Canada. 
to  ascend  the  Mississippi,  and  all  its  tributaries,  but  it 
also  afforded  the  means  of  surmounting  the  most  dan- 
gerous rapids  ;  of  passing  from  river  to  river  ;  of  pene- 
trating into  the  bosom  of  trackless  forests,  and  of 
striking  into  the  recesses  of  inhospitable  mountains. 
It  was  this  simple  boat  which  afforded  to  the  French 
the  means  of  traversing  this  vast  region,  securing  its 
trade,  cultivating  the  friendship  of  its  inhabitants,  and 
gaining  a  power,  which,  if  ably  wielded,  must  have 
permanently  subjected  the  whole  of  this  country  t<> 
their  language,  their  customs,  their  religion,  and,  per- 
haps, to  their  dominion. 

In  the  year   1632,  sv\cn  years  only  after  Quebec 

was  founded,  the  missionaries  had   penetrated  as  far 

Lake  Huron.     The  Wyandots  and  Iroquois 

at  thai  time  engaged  in  an  exterminating  war, 

and  the  priests,  following  their  converts  through  good 

and  evil  fortune,  and  tenaciously  adhering  to  the  altars 


140  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

which  they  had  reared  by  perilous  exertion  in  the 
wilderness,  shared  all  the  privations  and  dangers  which 
usually  attend  these  border  feuds. 

In  their  intercourse  with  the  Indians  on  the  shores 
of  the  northern  lakes,  the  French  became  informed  of 
the  existence  of  a  river  flowing  to  the  south,  and 
desired  to  ascertain  its  character.  Father  Marquette, 
a  priest,  and  Joliet,  an  inhabitant  of  Quebec,  were 
employed  to  prosecute  this  discovery ;  and  having 
ascended  Fox  river,  crossed  the  portage,  and  descend- 
ed the  Ouisconsin,  entered  the  Mississippi  on  the  17th 
June,  1673.  They  pursued  the  meanders  of  the  river 
to  its  confluence  with  the  Arkansas,  and  on  their 
return,  ascended  the  Illinois,  and  re-entered  Lake 
Michigan  at  Chicago. 

La  Salle,  a  man  of  talents,  courage,  and  experience, 
determined  to  complete,  if  possible,  a  discovery  so 
important  to  the  interests  of  the  French  government, 
and  embarked  in  the  prosecution  of  this  undertaking 
in  1679.  He  built  the  first  vessel,  larger  than  a  canoe, 
that  ever  navigated  these  lakes.  It  was  launched  at 
Erie,  and  called  the  Griffin. 

"  He  reached  Michilimackinac,  where  he  left  his 
vessel,  and  coasted  Lake  Michigan  in  canoes,  to  the 
mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph.  The  Griffin  was  despatched 
to  Green  Bay,  for  a  cargo  of  furs,  but  she  was  never 
more  heard  of,  after  leaving  that  place.  Whether 
she  was  wrecked,  or  captured  and  destroyed  by  the 
Indians,  no  one  knew  at  that  day,  and  none  can  now 
tell.  La  Salle  prosecuted  his  design  with  great  vigour, 
amid  the  most  dicouraging  circumstances.  By  the 
abilities  he  displayed ;  by  the  successful  result  of  his 


-ki:ti  ess  oi  rn  w  i  - 1  .  141 

undertaking  ;  and  by  the  melancholy  catastrophe 
which  terminated  his  own  career,  be  ifl  well  worthy 
a  place  among  that  band  of  intrepid  adventun 
who,  commencing  with  Columbus,  and  terminating 
with  Parry  and  Franklin,  have  devoted  themselves 
with  noble  ardour,  to  the  extension  of  geographical 
knowledge,  and  have  laid  open  the  recesses  of  this 
continent." — Cass's  Address. 

\\\  have  mel  with  an  old  volume,  containing  an 
account  of  La  Salle's  second  voyage  into  North 
America,  in  1683,  written  in  French,  "by  Monsieur 
Jontel, a  commander  in  that  expedition."  They  land- 
ed at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  and  ascended  that 
river.  Of  the  Wabash,  he  says,  "  We  came  to  the 
mouth  of  a  river  called  the  Houabache.  said  to  come 
from  the  country  of  the  Iroquois,  towards  New  Eng- 
land. "  '  "  A  tine  river:  its  water  remarkably 
clear,  and  current  gentle."  The  expression,  k*  towards 
New  England,"  shows  how  inadequate  an  idea  they 
had  of  the  extent  of  our  country. 

On  reaching  the  Illinois,  he  remarks,  "  We  found  a 
great  alteration  in  that  river,  as  well  with  respect  to 
its  current,  which  is  very  gentle,  as  to  the  country 
about  it,  which  is  more  agreeable  and  beautiful  than 
that  about  the  great  river,  by  reason  of  the  many 
fine  woods,  and  variety  of  fruits,  its  banks  are  adorned 
with.  It  was  a  very  great  relief  to  us,  to  find  so 
much  ease  in  going  up  that  river,  bv  reason  of  its 
gentle  stream,  so  that  wo  all  stayed  in  the  canoe,  and 
made  much  more  waj ." 

M  with    some    of   the    natives,    he    remarks, 

"We  asked  them  what  nation  they  were  of;  the] 


142  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WE?T. 

answered,  they  were  Islinois,  of  a  canton  called  Cas- 
casquia."  This  account  settles  the  question  some- 
times propounded,  as  to  the  origin  of  the  name  of  this 
country,  which  some  have  suppposed  to  be  of  French 
origin,  and  to  be  derived  from  the  words  Isle  aux  noix, 
but  which  is  undoubtedly  aboriginal,  although  the 
orthography  may  be  Gallic.  The  tribe  alluded  to 
were  called  the  Ulini. 

Another  passage  shows,  that  the  Indians  of  th 
days  were  very  similar  to  their  descendants :  and, 
that,  however  the  savage  character  may  have  become 
deteriorated  in  some  respects,  by  intercourse  with  the 
whites,  it  is  essentially  the  same  under  all  circum- 
stances. u  They  are  subject,"  says  our  author,  M  to 
the  creneral  vice  of  all  other  Indians,  which  is,  to  boast 
very  much  of  their  warlike  exploits,  and  that  is  the 
main  subject  of  their  discourse,  and  they  are  very  great 
liars" 

The  map  attached  to  this  book,  is  quite  a  curiosity 
— it  is  so  crude,  and  so  admirable  a  specimen  of  the 
rude  state  of  the  arts  at  the  time  when  it  was  made. 
It  is  such  as  an  indian  would  trace  in  the  sand  with 
his  linger,  or  the  biggest  boy  in  a  shool  would  draw 
on  the  black-board. 

Shortly  after  the -country  had  been  thu3  explored, 
it  was  settled  by  colonies  from  Lower  Canada,  who 
founded  the  villages  of  Kaskaskia,  Cahokia,  and 
Peoria.  The  exact  date  of  this  emigration  is  not 
known,  but  it  was  probably  between  the  years  1680 
and  1690. 

In  IT  12,  Louis  XIV.,  by  letters  patent,  granted  to 
Anthony  Crozat,  counsellor  of  state,  <fcc,  and    his 


■    ~"T    '■■■  7-7  143 


beirs  in  pfipflnilj,  all  the  mines  within 

country  Ihea  erikd  L  auaiam*,  and  *  ■  I  nil 

words : — u  Boum lrd  by  New  Mexico  on  tl 

by  bads  of  the  English  of  Carolina  on  the 

mg  nil  tbe  establishments,  ports,  havens,  men, 

principally,  the  port  and  haven  of  the  isles  of ! 

heretofore  called  Massacre ;  the  river  B 

tofore  called  Mimiwinni,  from  the  edge  of  the  sen  as 

far  as  the  Illinois,  together  with  the  St  Philip, 

heretofore  called  Ouabaebe ;  with  all  the 

territories,  lakes  within  land,  and   rivers 

dire  ndxrectry  into  that  part  of  the  river  c 

Louis-     This  included  all  the  territory 

Missouri,  and  Arkansas.     The  exclusive  ptiiflcge  of 
commerce  was  granted  to  hint  in  the 
!   r  SftfJfJi  vear-. 

In  1717.  M.  Crozat  relinquished  his 
the  same  year,  letters  patent  were  granted  to  an  asso- 
ciation of  individuals  at  Paris,  under  the  style  of  the 

-inpany  of  the  V  by  which  they 

ed  with  the  same  privileges  which  had 
by  (  Together  with  others,  far  more  extensive. 

The  territory  was  granted  to  them  in  afladaanc 
frame  allint)  in  lordship  and  in  justice,  the   crown 
reserving  no  other  right   than  those  of  realty  and 


Id  1718,  the  Company  of  the  West  tormed  am 
htwhment  in  Illinois,  at  Fort  Chan  res :  and  this  part 
of  the  conmm  being  repotted  as  n  iniiiiuli  fertile, 
received  a  great  accession  of  population. 

In   1719,  Philip  Francis  IT  amah,  wh  led 


144  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

Director  General  of  the  Mines  of  the  Royal  India  Com- 
pany in  Illinois,  left  France  with  two  hundred  arti- 
ficers, and  sometime  in  the  following  year,  reached 
Kaskaskia.  He  established  himself  near  Fort  Char- 
tres,  at  a  place  called  by  him  St.  Philippe,  and  since 
called  Little  Village.  Renault  was  disappointed  in 
his  expectations  of  finding  gold  and  silver,  but  is  sup- 
posed to  have  made  great  quantities  of  lead,  and  to 
have  discovered  a  copper  mine  near  Peoria.  His 
operations  were  checked  by  an  edict  of  the  king, 
made  in  May,  1719,  by  which  the  Company  of  the 
West  was  united  to  the  East  India  and  Chinese  Com- 
pany, under  the  title  of  "  La  Compagnie  Royale  des 
Indes"  Finally,  in  1731,  the  whole  territory  was 
reconveyed  to  the  crown  of  France,  the  objects  of  the 
company  having  totally  failed. 

From  the  great  number  of  grants  of  land  made  during 
the  existence  of  these  companies,  it  appears  that  Illi- 
nois, even  at  that  time,  had  attracted  considerable 
attention.  In  making  these  grants,  the  officers  of 
the  company  united  with  those  of  the  crown.  We 
have  examined  some  of  these  concessions,  dated  in 
1722,  which  are  made  by  "  Pierre  Duquet  de  Bois- 
briant,  first  lieutenant  of  the  king  in  the  province  of 
Louisiana,  and  commandant  for  the  Illinois  ;  and  Marc 
Antonie  de  la  Loir  des  Versins,  principal  commissary 
for  the  Royal  Company  of  the  Indies,  at  their  factory 
in  the  Illinois." 

In  1723,  a  grant  was  made  to  Philip  Renault,  in- 
cluding the  site  of  St.  Philippe,  of  "  one  league  in 
front  by  two  in  depth,  at  Grand  Marias,  on  the  Mis- 


ski.  r<  ii  i  -  «»i'  i  ii  i    1  nr«  145 

aasippi  river.     This  stream  i^  now  called  Mary,  end 
}.\  one  of  our  geographers,  St.  .Mary. 

August  11.  17  n.  Monsieur  Vaudriauel,  governor, 
and  Monsieur  Salmon!  commissar)  ordonnateur  of 
the  province  of  Louisiana,  granted  to  the  inhabitants 
of  Kaskaskia,  b  tract  of  laud  as  a  common,  for  the 
use  of  said  inhabitants  for  ever,  which  was  bounded 
north  by  the  southern  limit  of  said  village,  east  by  the 
Kaskaskia  river,  south  and  west  by  the  Mississippi 
and  the  limits  of  the  "common  field."  The  common 
field  is  a  tract,  composed  of  various  grants  in  severalty, 
made  to  individual  inhabitants  in  franc  allien  (fee 
simple),  and  which,  from  the  first,  has  been  enclosed 
in  one  common  fence,  and  subjected  to  certain  regula- 
tions.  We  Bee  here  a  custom  peculiar  to  the  French. 
There  was  attached  to  almost  every  village,  a  common, 
belonging  t«»  the  village  in  its  municipal  character, 
which  was  lefl  unenclosed,  for  pasturage  and  other 
purposi  i,  \<»  portion  of  this  could  be  alienated  or 
converted  into  private  property,  but  by  the  unanimous 
act  of  the  villagers.  When  a  young  couple  married, 
Of  a  person  settled  in  the  village,  who  was  too  indi- 
gent to  purchase  land,  they  sometimes  made  to  such 
parties  donations  of  a  few  acres  of  the  common,  by 
deed,  signed  1>\  all  the  inhabitants;  and  the  lot  thus 
red.  became  private  property,  and  might  be  added, 
if  conveniently  situated,  to  the  common  field.  The 
latter  \;;i<  owned  in  parcels  by  individuals, who  held  a 
largei  or  smaller  number  of  acres,  in  separate  lots, 
each  tilling  his  own  land,  although  the  whole  was 
surrounded   by    B   single  fence,  and  the  several  parts 

not   divided   by   enclosures. 
VOL.   I 18 


146  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

Previous  to  the  year  1748,  Spain,  France,  and 
England,  claimed  the  greater  part  of  North  America, 
by  right  of  conquest,  or  of  discoveries  made  under 
their  patronage,  respectively.  The  treaty  of  Aix 
la  Chapelle,  made  in  that  year,  contained  a  provision 
for  the  restitution  of  the  territories  which  each  had 
wrested  from  the  other,  but  was  wholly  silent  as  to 
boundaries.  France,  however,  owned  Canada  on  the 
north,  and  Lower  Louisiana  on  the  south,  besides 
claiming  the  intermediate  discoveries  of  La  Salle  and 
others,  on  the  upper  lakes,  the  Mississippi,  and  the 
Illinois. 

The  French   government,  at  a  very  early  period, 
adopted    the    policy    of  uniting    their   possessions  in 
Canada  with  those  in  Louisiana,  by  a  chain  of  posts, 
which,  extending  along  the  whole  course  of  the  north- 
ern lakes,  and  the  Mississippi,  should  open  a  line  of 
interior  communication  from  Quebec  to  New  Orleans, 
and  which  would  secure  to  them  the  expansive  terri- 
tory of  the  west,  by  confining  their  English  neighbours 
to  the  country  east  of  the  Alleghany  ridge.  It  happen- 
ed, however,  with  the  French,  as  with  the  English, 
that  all  their  calculations  in  reference  to  their  Ameri- 
can colonies,  were  formed  upon  a  scale  too  small,  as 
well  in  regard  to  the  objects  to  be  secured,  as  in  rela- 
tion to  the  extent  of  the  means  to  be  employed.     The 
minds  of  their  statesmen  seem  to  have  never  em- 
braced  the  whole  vast  field  upon  which  their  policy 
was  to  operate.     They  appear  to  have  had  but  feeble 
conceptions  of  the   great  extent  of  the  country,  and 
to  have  been  entirely  ignorant  of  the  amount  and  cha- 
racter of  the  means  necessary  for  its  subjection. 


SKETCHES   OF  THE  WEST.  147 

Their  schemes  wanted  unity  of  design,  and  the  ill- 
assorted  parts  seldom  harmonised  together.  Thus, 
although  the  French  established  military  posts,  and 
planted  colonies  throughout  the  whole  of  this  region, 
they  were  so  distant  from  each  other,  and  so  un- 
connected, as  to  afford  no  mutual  support,  nor  could 
they  ever  be  brought   to  act  efficiently  together,  as 

C  JO' 

component  parts  of  any  colonial  or  military  system. 
The  plan — or  want  of  plan — was  happily  conceived 
for  our  benefit ;  and  was  disadvantageous  only  to  those, 
whose  want  of  wisdom,  and  of  vigour,  deprived  them 
of  territory  at  an  earlier  period  than  that  at  which 
they  would  otherwise  have  lost  it. 

It  is  curious  to  reflect  upon  the  situation  of  these 
colonists.     Their  nearest   civilised    neighbours  were 
the  English  on  the  shores   of  the   Atlantic,  distant  a 
thousand  miles,  from  whom  they  were  separated  by  a 
barrier  then  insurmountable,  and  with  whom  they  had 
no   more  intercourse   than  with  the  Chinese,     Their 
countrymen,  it  is  true,  had  posts  throughout  the  west, 
but  they  were  too  distant  for  frequent  intercourse,  and 
they  were   peopled   by  those,  who,   like   themselves, 
were   disconnected   from  all   the   rest   of  the   world. 
But  the  French  brought  with  them,  or  found  in  their 
vicinity,  certain  elements  of  prosperity,  which  enabled 
them  to  flourish  in  spite  of  the  disadvantages  of  their 
unprotected  situation.      They  were   unambitious  and 
contented.     It  was  always  their  policy  to  conciliate 
the    natives,   whom    they   invariably    treated   with    a 
kindness  and  consideration  never  shown  to  that  unhappy 
race  by  other  Europeans,  and  with  whom  they  pre- 
served a  faith  unbroken  upon  either  side. 


148  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

In  a  few  years,  Kaskaskia  grew  into  a  town,  whose 
population  has  been  variously  estimated,  at  from  I 
to  8,000  inhabitants  ;  the  latter  number  is  doubtless 
an  exaggeration,  but  either  of  them  indicates  a  won- 
derful population  for  a  place  having  little  commerce, 
no  arts,  and  no  surrounding  territory.  They  lived 
chiefly  by  agriculture,  hunting,  and  trading  with  the 
Indians.  They  possessed  a  country  prolific  in  all  the 
bounties  of  nature.  The  wild  fruits  were  abundant. 
The  grape,  the  plum,  the  persimmon,  and  the  cherry, 
attain  here  a  size  unknown  in  less  favoured  regions. 
The  delicate  pecan,  the  hickory  nut,  the  walnut,  and 
the  hazle,  strew  the  ground  during  the  autumn,  excel- 
ling the  corresponding  productions  of  the  Atlantic 
states,  as  much  in  size  and  flavour  as  in  quantity.  Of 
domestic  fruits,  the  peach,  the  apple,  and  the  pear, 
attain  great  perfection.  Here  the  maple  yields  its 
sugar,  and  the  cotton  its  fibre,  the  sweet  potato  and 
Indian  corn  yield  abundantly,  while  wheat,  and  many 
other  of  the  productions  of  colder  countries,  come 
to  perfection.  Around  them  were  spread  those 
magnificent  natural  meadows,  that  mock,  in  their 
extent  and  luxuriance,  the  highest  efforts  of  human 
labour.  The  deer,  the  buffalo,  and  the  elk,  furnished 
in  those  da3^s  bountiful  supplies — the  rivers  abounded 
with  fish — while  the  furry  and  the  feathered  tribes 
afforded  articles  for  comfort  and  for  trade.  Surround- 
ed thus  by  good  things,  what  more  could  a  French- 
man have  desired  unless  it  were  a  violin  and  a  glass  of 
claret  ?  The  former  we  are  told  they  had,  and  we 
have  good  authority  for  saying,  that  they  drank  excel- 
lent wine  from  their  own  grapes. 


-K):  I  <  111-   OF  THE   iMfi  1  1!> 

Of  their  civil,  military,  and  religious  institutions  we 
have  little  mi  record,  but  enough  may  he  gathered  to 
show  that,  though  simple  ami  efficient,  they  were 
entirely  anomalonsi  The  priests  seem  to  have  been 
prudent  men.  At  a  time  when  religious  intolerance 
was  sufficiently  fashionable,  we  hear  of  no  trouble 
among  our  French.  The  good  men  who  regulated 
their  consciences, seem  to  have  prized  "the  ornament 
of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit,"  so  highly,  as  to  be  con- 
tent to  pursue  their  own  vocation  in  peace  with  all 
the  world.  The  military  SWay,  which  was  para- 
mount, seems  to  have  been  equally  mild — perhaps 
because  it  was  equally  undisputed — and  as  for  the 
civil  jurisdiction,  we  find  so  little  trace  of  it,  either 
on  record,  or  in  tradition,  as  to  induce  the  belief  that 
the  people  seldom  needed  its  interposition.  Some  old 
(U'vdr^  which  remain  of  record  at  Kaskaskia,  are  dated 
far  hack  as  1712,  framed,  of  course,  on  the  model 
of  civil  law,  and  written  in  a  choice  old  provincial 
dialect.  Their  legal  proceedings  were  brief  and 
simple — so  much  so,  that  we,  with  our  notions,  should 
have  called  them  arbitrary.  Yet  such  was  their 
attachment  to  their  ancient  customs,  that  with  the 
kindest  feelings' towards  our  country,  and  our  people, 
they  could  ill  brook  the  introduction  of  the  common 
law,  when  tin  ir  territory  was  ceded  to  our  government. 
They  thought  it-  forms  burthensome  and  complicated, 
and  many  of  them  removed  to  Louisiana,  where  the 
civil  law  was  -till  in  force. 

Separated  thus  from  all  the  world,  these  people 
acquired  many  peculiarities.  In  language,  dress,  and 
maimer-,  they  lost  much  of  their  original  polish  ;  but 

1M- 


150  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

they  retained,  and  still  retain,  many  of  the  leading 
characteristics  of  their  nation.  They  took  care  to 
keep  up  their  ancient  holidays  and  festivals ;  and 
with  few  luxuries  and  fewer  wants,  .they  were  pro- 
bably as  cheerful  and  as  happy  a  people  as  any  in 
existence. 

Kaskaskia,  called  in  the  old  French  records, 
"  Notre  dame  de  Cascasquias,"  is  beautifully  situated 
on  the  point  of  land  formed  by  the  junction  of  the 
Mississippi  and  Kaskaskia  rivers.  It  is  not  at  the 
point  of  confluence,  but  four  miles  above,  where  the 
rivers  approach  to  within  less  than  two  miles  of  each 
other ;  and  the  original  plan  of  the  town  extended 
across  from  river  to  river.  In  this  respect,  the  posi- 
tion is  precisely  analogous  to  that  of  Philadelphia. 
The  point  widens  below  the  town,  and  embraces  a 
large  tract  of  immensely  fertile  land,  mostly  common, 
covered  with  plum,  grape,  pecan  trees,  and  other  of 
the  richest  productions  of  nature.  Here  a  number  of 
horses,  turned  loose  by  the  first  settlers,  increased  to 
large  droves  of  animals,  as  wild  as  the  original  stock. 
They  have  now  been  in  a  state  of  nature  for  more 
than  a  century.  The  inhabitants  catch  and  tame 
them  when  wanted  for  use  ;  and  the  "  point  horses," 
though  small,  are  celebrated  for  their  spirit  and  hardi- 
ness. The  site  of  the  town  is  on  a  level  alluvial  plain, 
composed  of  a  deep  and  extremely  rich  soil.  On  the 
opposite  side  of  the  Kaskaskia  river,  the  land  is  high 
and  broken.  This  river  is  350  feet  wide  opposite  the 
town,  and  preserves  a  considerable  width  and  depth, 
with  a  scarcely  perceptible  current,  uninterrupted  by 
an  obstruction  for  more    than   fifty  miles  upwards  ; 


SKE  rCIIE3  OF  Till     WEST.  151 

beyond  tluit.  tin-  current  i>  still  gentle, and  the  stream 
would  be  navigable  for  small  boats,  in  high  water,  tc 
lalia,  distant  ninety-five  miles  bj  land,  and  more 
than  two  bundred  by  the  meanders  of  the  river,  it'  s 
few  obstructions,  consisting  entirely  of  fallen  timber, 
should  be  removed. 

This  village  still  retains  many  striking  evidences  of 
it-  origin,  and  of  the  peculiar  character  of  its  inhabit- 
ants. Many  of  the  old  bouses  remain,  and  afibrd 
curious  specimens  of  the  architecture  of  the  people 
and  the  period.  Borne  of  them  were  built  of  -tone, 
others  were  of  framed   timber,  with  the  intersti 

tilled  with  cement.      The]  were  usually  plastered  over 

with  a   bard  mortar,  and  white-washed.     The  gaoli 

ends    are    often    placed    to    face    the    BtlOOtS,    and    the 

neat  roofs  exhibited  a  heavi  and  singular  construe- 
tion.     The  lion-  ally  but  one  story  high, 

and    spread    out  |  ,  occupy  a  large   surface;  and 

of  the  better  order  were  surrounded  by  piaa 
mfortable  fashion  still  retained  in  the  dwellini 
the  planters  in  Louisiana.      To   almost   all  the  houses, 

large  gardV  ns  were  attached,  enclosed  with  high  stone 

wall-,   or   by    picketing,   composed   of  large   stakes 

planted  perpendicularly  in  the  ground.     The  mhabit- 

ted  a  Lrre-:t  profusion  of  fruits  and  Bowers; 

although  abstemious   in   their  diet,  lived   in   i 

The  old  church  at   Kask  is  a  venerable  pile, 

which,  although  more  than  a  century  old,  is  still  in  a 
tolerable  Btate  of  preservation,  and  is  used  a-  a  place 
of  worship  by  the  Catholic  inhabitants.  It  is  verj 
large,  and   is  built  in  a  quaint  old   fashioned  style. 


152  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

The  construction  of  the  roof  is  a  great  curiosity ;  its 
extensive  and  massy  surface  being  supported  by  an 
immense  number  of  pieces  of  timber,  framed  together 
with  great  neatness  and  accuracy,  and  crossing  each 
other  at  a  variety  of  different  angles,  so  that  no  part 
of  the  structure  can  by  any  possibility  sink  until  the 
whole  shall  fall  together.  In  this  church  are  several 
valuable  old  records,  and  among  others  a  baptismal 
register,  containing  the  generations  of  the  French 
settlers  from  about  the  year  1690. 

In  1763,  France  ceded  her  possessions  east  of  the 
Mississippi,  to  England.  Captain  Philip  Pittman  of 
the  English  army,  visited  "  the  country  of  Illinois," 
in  1770,  and  published  an  account  of  it,  from  which 
we  glean  the  following  particulars.  Kaskaskia  con- 
tained at  that  time,  according  to  Captain  Pittman, 
sixty-five  families,  besides  merchants,  casual  people, 
and  slaves,  an  enumeration  which  we  have  reason  to 
suppose  fell  greatly  short  of  the  truth.  The  fort, 
which  was  burnt  down  in  1766,  stood  on  the  summit 
of  a  high  rock  opposite  the  town,  on  the  other  side 
of  the  Kaskaskia  river.  Its  shape  was  an  oblong 
quadrangle,  of  which,  the  exterior  polygon  measured 
290  by  251  feet.  It  was  built  of  very  thick  squared 
timber,  dovetailed  at  the  angles.  An  officer  and 
twenty  soldiers  were  quartered  at  the  village  in  1770, 
and  the  inhabitants  were  formed  into  two  companies 
of  militia.  The  officer  governed  the  village,  under 
the  direction  of  the  commandant  at  Fort  Chartres. 

La  Prairie  de  Rocher,  thirteen  miles  from  Kaskas- 
kia, is  described  as  being,  at  that  time,  a  "  small 
village,  with  twelve  dwelling-houses."     The  number 


SKK1<   II  l>    09   ill!     WKi  153 

must  certainly  have  bean  much  greater,  as  there 
wen    two   hundred   inhabitants    in    1820,  when   the 

village  had  fallen  to  decay.  Here  was  ■  little  chapel, 
formerly  a  chapel  of  eaae  to  the  church  at  Fort 
Chartres.  The  village  was  distant  from  the  fort  seveu 
miles,  and  took  it-  name  from  its  situation,  being  built 
at  the  base  of  i  high  parapet  of  rock,  that  runs  parallel 
to  the  Mississippi. 

"  Saint  Philippe,"  aaj  -  (  aptain  Pittman,  "  is  a  small 
village,  about  five  miles  from  Fort  Chartres,  on  the 
road  t<>  Kaoquias;  there  are  about  sixteen  houses,  and 
a  small  church  standing;  all  the  inhabitants,  except 
the  captain  of  militia,  deserted  it  in  17»i~>,  and  went  to 
the  French  side.  The  captain  of  militia  has  about 
*\  slaves,  a  good  stock  of  cattle,  and  a  watermill. 
This  village  stands  in  i  very  fine  meadow,  about  one 
mile  from  the  Mississippi." 

"  The  village  of  Saint  Famille  de  Kaoquias,"  says 
the  same  writer,  "  contains  forty-five  dwellings,  and  a 
church  near  it-  centre.  The  situation  is  not  well 
chosen,  being  overflowed.  It  was  the  first  settlement 
on  the  Mississippi.  The  land  was  purchased  of  the 
savages,  by  a  few  Canadians,  some  of  whom  married 
women  of  the  Kaoquias  nation,  and  others  brought 
wive- from  Canada.  The  inhabitants  depend  more  on 
hunting  and  their  Indian  trade,  than  agriculture,  as 
they  scarce  raise  corn  enough  for  their  own  consump- 
tion. They  have  a  great  deal  of  poultry,  and  good 
Blocks  of  horned  cattle*  The  mission  of  Saint  Sulpice 
had  a  fine  plantation  here,  and  a  good  house  on  it. 
They  sold  tlii>;  estate,  and  a  very  good  mill  for  corn 
and  planks,  to  a  Frenchman,  who  chose  to  remain 


154  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

here  under  the  English  government.  What  is  called 
the  fort,  is  a  small  building  in  the  centre  of  the  village, 
which  diners  nothing  from  the  other  houses,  except 
being  the  meanest.  It  was  enclosed  with  palisades, 
but  these  are  rotted  or  burnt.  There  is  no  use  for  a 
fort  here." 

Some  curious  facts  are  also  recorded  in  a  rare 
volume,  written  by  Daniel  Coxe  of  New  Jersey,  who 
visited  this  region,  during  the  occupancy  of  the 
French. 

Fort  Chartres,  when  it  belonged  to  France,  was  the 
seat  of  government  of  the  Illinois  country.  It  was 
afterwards  the  head  quarters  of  the  English  command- 
ing officer,  who  was  in  fact  the  arbitrary  governor  of 
this  region.  The  shape  of  the  fort  was  an  irregular 
quadrangle,  with  four  bastions.  The  sides  of  the 
exterior  polygon  were  about  490  feet  in  extent.  '  It 
was  designed  only  as  a  defence  against  Indians.  The 
walls,  which  were  of  stone  and  plastered  over,  were 
two  feet  two  inches  thick,  and  fifteen  feet  high,  with 
loop-holes  at  regular  distances,  and  two  port-holes  for 
camion  in  each  face,  and  two  in  the  flanks  of  each 
bastion.  The  ditch  was  never  finished.  The  entrance 
was  through  a  handsome  rustic  gate.  Within  the 
wall  was  a  small  banquette,  raised  three  feet,  for  the 
men  to  stand  upon  when  they  fired  through  the  loop- 
holes. Each  port  or  loop-hole,  was  formed  of  four 
solid  blocks  of  rock,  of  freestone,  worked  smooth. 
All  the  cornices  and  casements  about  the  gate  and 
buildings  were  of  the  same  material,  and  appeared  to 
great  advantage. 

The  buildings  within  the  fort,  were  the  command- 


BKSTCHB8  01     nn:  WBRi  1  56 

ant's  and  ccminissary'fl  bon  magazine  ofstoi 

carpi  ardct  and    two    barracks,    occupying  t)»«- 

square.     ^\\" it  1 1  i ■  1  tfa  f  the  bastions  were  a 

powder  magazine,  ;i  bake-house,  a  prison,  in  the 
lower  floor  of  which  were  four  dungeons,  and  in  the 
upper,  two  i  smaller  buildings.     The 

commandant's   bouse  was   oinety-su    feel    long   and 

thirt)  d<  i  dining-r a,  a  bed-chamber, 

a  parlour,  a  kitchen,  five  closets  for  servants,  and  a 
cellar.     The  commi  bouse  was  built  in  a  lm<' 

with  tlii-,  and  its  proportions  and  distribution  of  apart- 
ments uric  the  same.  Opposite  th<  se,  were  the  store- 
house and  guard-house;  cadi  ninety  feet  Long  bj 
twenty-f  i  d  ;>.  The  former  contained  two  large 
store-rooms,  with  vaulted  cellars  under  the  whol< 

•    room,   a    bed-chamber,   and  a  closet    for   the 

*  and  officers'  guard  rooms, 
a  chapel,  a  mber,  and  closet  f<>r  the  chaplain, 

and  an  artill  a.     The  lines  of  barracks, 

two  in  Dumber,  wer  completely  finished.    They 

dated  of  two  rooms  in  each  line  for  officers,  and 
three  for  I  liersj  they  were  good,  spacious  rooms,  of 
twenty-two  feet  square,  with  passages  between  them. 
All  these  buildings  w<  masonry,  and  well 

finished.     There  \\  fts  over  each  build- 

chin  r  from  end  t  i  end,  which  were  made  use 
of  to  contain  regimental  .  working  and  entrench- 

ing tools,  dec.     [l  erally  allowed  that  this  was 

the  most  commodious  and  best  built  fort  in  North 
America.  The  bank  of  the  Mississippi  next  the  fort, 
was  continually  foiling  in,  being  worn  awaj  by  the 
current  which  was  turned  from  its  course  1»\  ■  aand- 


156  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

bar  that  soon  increased  to  an  island,  and  became 
covered  with  willows.  Many  experiments  were  tried 
to  stop  this  growing  evil,  but  to  no  purpose.  When 
the  fort  was  begun  in  1756,  it  was  half  a  mile  from 
the  water  side ;  in  1766,  it  was  eighty  paces ;  and  the 
western  angle  has  since  been  undermined  by  the  water. 
In  1762,  the  river  was  fordable  to  the  sand-bar ;  in 
1770,  the  latter  was  separated  from  the  shore  by  a 
channel  forty  feet  deep.  Such  are  the  changes  of  the 
Mississippi.  In  the  year  1764,  there  were  about 
forty  families  in  the  village  of  Fort  Chartres,  and  a 
parish  church,  served  by  a  Franciscan  friar,  dedicated 
to  St.  Anne.  In  the  following  year,  when  the  Eng- 
lish took  possession  of  the  country,  they  abandoned 
their  houses,  except  three  or  four  poor  families,  and 
settled  at  the  villages  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi,  choosing  to  continue  under  the  French  govern- 
ment. 

The  writer  visited  the  ruins  of  Fort  Chartres  in 
1829.  It  was  situated,  as  well  as  the  villages  above- 
named,  on  the  American  bottom,  an  extensive  and 
remarkably  fertile  plain,  bounded  on  one  side  by  the 
river,  and  on  the  other  by  a  range  of  bluffs,  whose 
summits  are  level  with  the  general  surface  of  the 
country.  The  bluffs  are  steep,  and  have  the  appear- 
ance of  having  once  formed  the  eastern  bank  of  the 
Mississippi.  It  would  seem  that  they  composed  a 
continuous,  even,  and  nearly  perpendicular  parapet, 
separating  the  plain  which  margins  the  river,  from 
the  higher  plain  of  the  main  land.  But  the  ravines 
washed  by  rains,  have  indented  it  in  such  a  manner, 
as  to  divide  the  summit  into  a  series  of  rounded  ele- 


BRED  n  OF  THE  WOT.  K>7 

vat  ii  »ns,  which  often  present  the  appearance  of  a  range 
of  Indian  mounds.  These  Mafia  arc  bo  called  when 
hare  of  timber,  which  is  their  usual  character \  and 

\\  hen  their  beautifully  graceful  undulations  are  exposed 
to  the  eye,  they  form  one  of  the  moat  remarkable  and 
attractive  features  of  the  scenery  of  this  country. 
When  timbered  they  do  not  differ  from  ordinary  hills. 
We  approached  Fort  Chartres  in  the  summery  when 
the  native  fruit  trees  «  ire  loaded  with  their  rich  pro- 
duct-. Meyer  did  we  behold  the  fruits  of  the  forest 
growing  in  such  abundance,  or  such  amazing  luxu- 
riance. Immense  thickets  of  the  wild  plum  might 
be  seen,  as  we  rode  over  the  prairie,  extending  for 
miles  along  its  edges,  so  loaded  with  crimson  fruit  as 
to  exhibit  to  the  eye  a  long  streak  of  glowing  red. 
Sometimes  we  rode  through  thickets  of  crab-apple, 
equally  prolific,  and  sometimes  the  road  wound  through 
copses  matted  with  grape  vines,  bearing  a  profusion 
of  rich  clusters.  Although  the  spot  was  familiar  to 
my  companion,  it  was  with  some  difficulty  that  we 
found  the  ruins,  which  are  now  covered  and  surround- 
ed with  a  young  but  vigorous  and  gigantic  growth  of 
.  and  with  a  dense  undergrowth  of  bushe- 
and  vines,  through  which  we  forced  our  way  with 
considerable  labour.  Even  the  crumbling  pile  itself 
i-  thus  overgrown,  the  tall  trees  rearing  their  sterns 
from  pile-  of  stone,  and  the  vines  creeping  over  the 
tottcrinir  walls.  The  buildings  were  all  razed  to  the 
ground,  hut  the  line-  of  the  foundations  could  be  easily 
traced,  a  large  vaulted  powder  magazine  remained 
in  nood  preservation.  The  exterior  wall,  the  most 
interesting  vestige,  as  it  gave  the  general  outline  of 

VOL.     I 1  1 


158  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

the  whole,  was  thrown  down  in  some  places ;  but  in 
many,  retained  something  like  its  original  height  and 
form ;  and  it  was  curious  to  see  in  the  gloom  of  a 
wild  forest,  these  remnants  of  the  architecture  of  a 
past  age.  One  angle  of  the  fort,  and  an  entire  bastion, 
had  been  undermined  and  swept  away  by  the  river, 
which,  having  expended  its  force  in  this  direction,  was 
again  retiring,  and  a  narrow  belt  of  young  timber  had 
grown  up  between  the  water's  edge  and  the  ruins. 

Many  curious  anecdotes  might  still  be  picked  up 
in  relation  to  these  early  settlers";  especially  in  Illi- 
nois and  Missouri,  where  the  Spanish,  French,  English, 
and  American  authorities  have  had  sway  in  rapid 
succession.  At  one  time  the  French  had  possession 
of  one  side  of  the  Mississippi,  and  the  Spaniards  of  the 
other,  and  a  story  is  told  of  a  Spaniard  living  on  one 
shore,  who,  being  the  creditor  of  a  Frenchman  resid- 
ing on  the  other,  seized  a  child,  the  daughter  of  the 
latter,  and  having  borne  her  across  the  river,  which 
formed  a  national  boundary,  held  her  as  a  hostage  for 
the  payment  of  the  debt.  The  civil  authorities,  re- 
spectively, declined  interfering ;  the  military  did  not 
think  the  matter  sufficiently  important  to  create  a 
national  war,  and  the  Frenchman  had  to  redeem  his 
offspring  by  discharging  the  creditor's  demand.  The 
lady  who  was  thus  abduced  is  still  living,  or  was 
living  a  few  years  ago,  near  Cahokia,  the  mother  of  a 
numerous  progeny  of  American  French  people. 

Having  spoken  of  the  pacific  disposition  evinced  by 
the  French  in  their  early  intercourse  with  the  Indian 
tribes,  it  is  proper  to  remark,  that  we  allude  particu- 
larly to  those  who  settled  on  the  Wabash  and  upper 


-Ki  i «  iii>  01   i  in:  w  1  1")!» 

Mississippi.  Thej  have  ever)  where  treated  the 
savages  with  more  kindness  and  greater  justice  than 
1 1  m •  people  of  other  nations;  but  there  have  been 
Kceptions,  which  we  are  nol  disposed  to  conceal  or 
palliate.  In  lower  Louisiana,  they  emulated]  in  some 
instances,  the  cruelty  <»t*  the  Spaniards  and  the  rapa- 
city of  the  English;  hut  in  Illinois,  their  conduct 
towards  their  uncivilised  neighbours  seems  to  have 
been  uniformly  friendly  and  amiable;  and  the  descend- 
ants of  the  firs!  settlers  of  thai  state  .-till  enjoy  the 
confidence  of  the  Indian  tribes. 

^  e  have  heard  of  an  occasion  on  which  this  re- 
ciprocal kindness  was  very  strongly  shown.  Many 
years  ago,  a  murder  having  been  committed  in  some 
broil,  three  Indian  young  men  were  given  up.  by  the 
Kaskaskia  tribe,  to  the  civil  authorities  of  the  newly 
established  American  government.  The  population 
of  Kaskaskia  was  still  entirely  French,  who  felt 
much  sympathy  for  their  Indian  friends,  and  saw 
these  hard  proceedings  of  the  law  with  great  dissatis- 
faction. The  ladies,  particularly,  took  a  warm  inte- 
rest in  the  fate  of  the  young  aboriginals,  and  deter- 
mined, if  they  must  die,  they  should  at  least  be 
converted  to  Christianity  in  the  mean  while,  and  be 
baptised  into  the  true  church.  Accordingly,  after 
due  preparation,  arrangements  were  made  for  a  public 
baptism  of  the  neophyt<s  in  the  old  cathedral  of  the 
Village.  Each  of  the  youths  was  adopted  by  a  lady, 
who  gave  him  a  name  and  was  to  stand  godmother  in 
the  ceremony  ;  and  tin-''  lady  patronesses,  with  their 
respective  friends,  were  busily  engaged  for  some  days 
in  preparing  drcSOOO  and  decoration-  for  their  favour- 


160  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

ites.  There  was  quite  a  sensation  in  the  village. 
Never  were  there  young  gentlemen  brought  into 
fashion  more  suddenly  or  more  decidedly ;  the  ladies 
talked  of  nothing  else,  and  all  the  needles  in  the 
village  were  plying,  in  the  preparation  of  finery  for 
the  occasion.  Previous  to  the  ceremony — that  is,  the 
ceremony  of  hanging — the  aboriginals  gave  their 
jailer  the  slip,  and  escaped,  aided  most  probably  by 
the  ladies,  who  had  planned  the  whole  affair  with  a 
view  to  this  result.  The  law  is  not  vindictive  in  new 
countries ;  the  danger  soon  blew  over ;  the  young 
men  again  appeared  in  public,  and  evinced  their  gra- 
titude to  their  benefactresses. 

It  is  with  regret  that  we  record  the  dispersion  of 
this  kind-hearted  people  from  the  dwellings  of  their 
fathers.  Several  generations  nourished  happily  in 
Illinois,  under  the  mild  sway  of  the  French  govern- 
ment. The  military  commandants  and  the  priests 
governed  them  with  an  uncontrolled,  but  with  a  pa- 
rental authority.  They  were  not  oppressed  with  taxes, 
nor  do  we  read  of  their  having  any  political  griev- 
ances.    They  were  unambitious  and  submissive. 

The  first  adventurers  to  Louisiana  and  Canada  had 
exchanged  the  fruitful  fields  and  vineyards  of  France 
for  the  inhospitable  wilds  of  the  new  world,  not  to 
pursue  their  former  occupations,  but  to  amass  opulent 
fortunes  by  mining.  They  expected  to  find  a  country 
rich  in  precious  minerals,  and  great  was  their  disap- 
pointment when  they  came  to  realise  their  condition. 
The  Indian  trade  furnished  their  only  means  of  sub- 
sistence. They  took  little  pains  to  examine  the 
oualitv  of  their  lands,  or  to  ascertain  what   products 


1X1 n  DM  of  Tin:  *  i>  i  161 

were  suited  to  the  soil  and  climate.  The  consequence 
was  that  the  great  mass  of  them  became  poor,  the 
spirit  of  enterprise  was  extinguished,  and  tht\  gn-w 
M  inert  B8  the\  were  inoffensive.  They  became  boat- 
men and  hunters,  and  the  labours  of  nine  tenths  of  the 
population  on  distant  lakes  and  rivers,  exposed  to 
danger,  privation,  and  death,  served  only  to  augment 
the  wealth,  of  a  few  traders  and  merchants.  The 
physical  strength  of  a  community,  depends  more  on 
agriculture  than  on  any  other  pursuit*  The  ancient 
French  were  ignorant  of  this  truth,  and  their  des- 
cendants have  not  learned  it  to  this  day.  They 
seldom  attempted  any  thing  more  than  the  cultiva- 
tion of  their  gardens,  and  the  raising  of  a  little  grain 
for  their  own  consumption.  In  the  mechanic  arts 
they  made  no  progress;  they  still  use  some  of  the 
implements  of  agriculture  introduced  by  their  fore- 
fathers a  century  ago ;  and  drive  vehicles,  such  as 
w.  re  in  fashion  in  some  provinces  of  France  at  the 
same  period.  But  they  were  contented.  The  most 
perfect  equality  reigned  among  them.  They  lived  in 
harmony,  all  danced  to  the  same  violin,  and  preserved 
their  national  vivacity  and  love  of  amusement. 

When  their  country  came  into  the  possession  of  the 
American  government,  they  were  displeased  with  the 
change.  There  never  was  a  stronger  instance  of  the 
unfitness  of  republican  institutions  for  an  ignorant  peo- 
ple. Accustomed  to  be  ruled  by  the  officers  of  the 
French  crown,  and  to  bestow  no  thought  on  matters 
of  public  policy,  they  disliked  the  machinery  of  muni- 
cipal institutions,  which  they  did  not  understand,  and 
considered  it  a  hardship  to  be  called  upon  to  elect 

14* 


162  SKETCHES    OF    THE    WEST. 

officers,  or  perform  civil  duties.  It  is  said  that  a  few 
years  ago,  when  the  inhabitants  of  one  of  these  vil- 
lages were  told  ihat  it  would  be  proper  for  them  to 
attend  an  election,  to  vote  for  a  member  of  congress, 
one  of  their  principal  men  declared  that  it  was  an 
imposition  to  send  any  man  so  far  from  home — that 
he  would  not  go  to  congress,  nor  would  he  assist  in 
imposing  such  an  unpleasant  duty  upon  any  of  his 
neighbours. 

The  influx  of  a  population  dissimilar  to  themselves 
in  manners,  language,  religion,  and  habits,  displeased 
them ;  the  enterprise  and  fondness  for  improvement 
of  the  American  settlers,  fretted  and  annoyed  them. 
The  land  lying  waste  around  them,  they  had  consi- 
dered as  a  kind  of  common  property — the  natural  in- 
heritance of  their  children  and  countrymen ;  and 
when  any  one  wished  to  convert  a  portion  of  it  to 
his  own  use,  he  applied  to  the  lieutenant-governor, 
who  granted  a  concession  for  a  certain  number  of 
acres.  But  now  they  saw  all  this  domain  surveyed 
and  offered  for  sale  to  the  highest  bidder ;  and  there 
was  a  fair  prospect,  that,  in  a  few  years,  there  would 
be  no  wilderness  remaining  to  hunt  in,  and  no  range 
for  their  wild  ponies  and  cattle. 

When  the  American  government,  therefore,  took 
possession  of  the  country,  the  majority  of  the  wealth- 
iest inhabitants  removed, — some  to  St.  Louis,  which 
was  rising  into  a  promising  commercial  town,  and 
others  to  lower  Louisiana,  where  they  could  enjoy 
their  own  laws,  customs,  and  language.  The  more 
indigent  scattered  themselves  along  the  frontier,  and 
became   boatmen,    hunters,  and   interpreters,   in  the 


-k  i  i  <  H  Bf  Of  Tin:  w  r- 1  .  L68 

employ  of  Indian  traders.  A  remnant  rnmrinftdt  whom) 
descendants  are  still  ■  peculiar  people,  l>nt  are  slowly, 
though  perceptibly,  losing  their  distinctive  oharacter, 
and  becoming  amalgamated  with  the  surrounding  popu- 
lation. 

Another  anecdote  of  these  times  is  worth  recording. 
When  General  George  Rogers  Clarke,  the  Hannibal 
>f  the  west,  captured  Kaskaskia,  he  made  his  head- 

quavers  at  the   house  of  a  Mr.  Michel  A ,  one  of 

the  weakhiest  inhabitants.  Michel  lived  in  ■  capital 
French  house,  enveloped  with  piazzas  and  surrounded 
by  gardens — all  in  the  most  approved  style.  He  was 
a  merry,  contented,  happy  man,  abounding  in  good 
living  and  good  stories,  and  as  hospitable  as  anv  gen- 
tleman whatever.  The  general  remained  his  guest 
some  time,  treated  with  the  greatest  kindness  and  at- 
tention, and  took  leave  of  Mr.  A.  with  a  high  respect 
for  his  character,  and  a  grateful  sense  of  his  warm- 
hearted hospitality.  Years  rolled  away  :  General 
Clarke  had  retired  from  public  life,  and  was  dwelling 
in  a  humble  log  house  in  Indiana,  a  disappointed  man. 
His  brilliant  services  had  not  been  appreciated  by  his 
country  :  his  political  prospects  had  been  blighted;  he 
was  unemployed  and  unhappy — a  proud  man,  conscious 
of  merit,  pining  away  bis  life  in  obscurity.  One  day, 
as  he  -trolled  along  the  hanks  of  the  Ohio,  he  espied 
a  circle  of  French  boatmen,  the  crew  of  a  barcre,  who 
were  b  >ated  round  a  fire  on  the  beach,  smoking  their 
pipes,  and  singing  their  merry  French  songs.  One 
voice  arrested  his  ear — it  was  that  of  bis  old  friend 
Michel;  he  could  not  mistake  the  blithe  tones,  and 
ever   buoyant    humour,   of  his   former   host.     He  ap- 


164  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

proached,  and  there  sat  Michel  in  the  garb  of  a  boat- 
man, with  a  red  cap  on  his  head,  the  merriest  of  the 
circle.  They  recognised  each  other  instantly.  Michel 
was  as  glad  to  see  the  general,  and  invited  him  to  take 
a  seat  on  the  log  beside  him  with  as  much  unembar- 
rassed hospitality,  as  if  he  had  still  been  in  his  spa- 
cious house,  surrounded  by  his  train  of  servants.  He 
had  suddenly  been  reduced  from  affluence  to  poverty 
— from  a  prosperous  gentleman,  who  lived  comfortably 
on  his  estate,  to  a  boatman — the  cook,  if  we  mistake 
not,  of  a  barge.  Although  a  man  of  vivacity  and 
strong  mind,  he  was  illiterate  and  unsuspecting.  The 
change  of  government  had  brought  in  new  laws,  new 
customs,  and  keener  speculators  than  the  honest 
French  had  been  accustomed  to  deal  with,  and 
Michel  was  ruined.  But  he  was  as  happy  as  ever ; 
while  his  friend,  the  general,  whose  change  of  circum- 
stances had  not  been  so  sudden  or  complete,  was  a 
moody,  discontented  man.  Such  is  the  diversity  of 
national  character. 


-kin  ii  i>    or    i  in     w  i>  i  .  !»;."» 


(ii  \ptf.r  ii. 

Founding   of  St.    Louil — Tl  '   tlint    colony — Tnnaffef    to 

V'  net  by  tin-  Indians —  Ii.-.  With  \,  \V  Oilcans 

—  A  |  rilant  exploit — <  Niw  r  I'ri  nob  s>  ui.jmnt-. 

The  city  of  St.  Louis  \\a<  founded  in  the  j  ear  l',;  i. 
krj  Monsieur  Laclede,  one  <>f  the  partBen  in  ■  ntorcaa- 
til«'  aoaociation,  known  under  the  name  of  Laclede,  Li- 
rte,  Maxan  ^v  CSomnany,  to  whom  (he  director 
general  of  tlit-  province  of  Fi^rittenri  hud  granted  the 
exclusive  privilege  of  trading  with  the  Indians  of  the 
Missouri,  and  those  west  of  the  Mississippi,  al)Ove  the 

Mi— "ii!  up  a>  the  river  St  l*«  t « r.    Thetnf- 

fic  in  fan  and  peltry  with  theee  dietanl  tribes,  though 
of  groat  vsone,  weald  have  been  onavailahle  without  a 
suitable  place  for  the  deposit  of  nerebandise j  and  to 
induce  the  company  t..  hazard  the  establishment  of 
men  a  depot,  which  would  also  serve  a<  the  nucleus 
of  new  settlements  west  of  the  Mississippi,  extensive 
powers  were  given  to  the  gentlemen  engaged  in  this 
nalcipiiscj.  M.  Laclede,  therefore,  formed  an  expedi- 
tion, at  the  head  of  which  he  set  out  from  New  Or* 
mans,  on  the  8d  of  August,  1768,  and  arrived  at  Ste. 
Genoa  ievo,  where  it  seems  there  was  already  ■  small 
settlement,  <>n  the  8d  of  November — the  voyage  which 
i-  uow  accomplished  in  ten  days  1»\  our  steamboats, 
occupying  those  adventurers  three  months,  with  their 
inferior  meant  of  transportation.   This  point  being  too 


166  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

distant  from  the  Missouri,  he  proceeded  to  the  mouth 
of  that  river,  and  on  his  return  fixed  upon  the  site. 
Having  wintered  at  Fort  Chartres,  and  gained  some 
recruits  at  that  place,  Cahokia,  and  Ste.  Genevieve, 
he  commenced,  on  the  15th  of  February,  1764,  the 
work  of  cutting  down  trees  and  laying  out  a  town, 
which  he  called  St.  Louis,  after  the  reigning  king  o' 
France.  In  consequence  of  some  subsequent  distress, 
on  account  of  a  scarcity  of  provisions,  it  received  the 
popular  name  of  Pain  Court,  by  which  it  was  called 
for  many  years.  M.  Auguste  Chouteau,  then  about 
fourteen  years  of  age,  who  has  since  been  one  of  the 
most  opulent  and  enterprising  of  the  citizens  of  that 
place,  and  is  but  recently  deceased,  was  of  the  party 
which  laid  the  foundation  of  this  flourishing  city. 

In  the  selection  of  this  site,  a  degree  of  sagacity 
was  shown,  which  has  seldom  marked  such  transac- 
tions. The  spot  is  elevated  above  the  inundations  of 
the  river,  from  whose  margin  the  ground  rises  gra- 
dually, and  is  based  on  a  thick  stratum  of  rock,  which 
affords  the  most  admirable  materials  for  building. 
Above  and  below,  along  the  river,  was  an  abundance 
of  timber,  and  to  the  west  an  unlimited  expanse  of 
fertile  prairies ;  while  on  the  east  were  the  rich  plains 
of  Illinois.  A  short  distance  below  were  the  lead 
mines,  which  have,  for  half  a  century  past,  afforded  a 
valuable  article  of  trade  ;  a  few  miles  above  the  town, 
the  Missouri  and  Illinois  rivers  united  their  wraters 
with  those  of  the  Mississippi,  extending  the  channels 
of  intercourse  throughout  a  vast  interior  region ;  and 
this  obscure  spot  in  the  heart  of  a  great  continent,  and 
far  distant  from  the  ocean,  was  visited  by  the  birch 


9K1 1  <  ni>    01    ill  i :    K  i  -  i  •  107 

canoes  from  Quebec,  aa  well  as  bj  the  barges  from 
Nru  Orleans. 

In  July,  1765,  Fori  <1«'  Chartres  waa  evaouatad  by 
the  French, and  M.  <f<  S<.  ingede  BelU  Rtae,  the  com- 
mander, proceeded  t<>  St.  Louis  with  the  troops,  and 
assumed  the  reins  of  government.  From  thia  time  St. 
Louia  waa  considered  aa  the  capital  of  I  pper  Louisi- 
ana. Having  organised  b  government,  one  of  hia  firat 
waa  to  parcel  the  land  t<>  the  —  •  - t 1 1  *  r8,  to  whom  M. 
Laclede  had  given  possession,  but  not  titles. 

ll<'  accordingly  made  the  Lh-rc  lej?ienyoi  land- 
book,  in  whi<  h  grants  of  kind  were  not  recorded  only, 
hut  original^  written,  and  a  eopy  of  the  entry  made 
in  thia  book  constituted  the  evidence  of  title  in  the 
hands  of  the  grantee*  These  concessions  were  not 
considered  as  inchoate  grants,  which  were  to  be  rati- 
fied by  a  higher  authority,  hut  as  perfect  titles,  inde- 
pendent <>f  any  condition,  except  those  of  the  land 
being  subject  to  taxation,  and  being  improved  by  the 
grantee,  within  a  limited  time  The  mode  of  obtain- 
ing grants  was  by  petition  or  requetei  addressed  to  the 
commandant;  and  the  concession  generally  ran.  after 
reciting  the  application,' thus :  *On  the  day  and 

afbresaidj  at  the  request  of .we  have  granted,  and 

do   grant   to   him,   his    heirs,  and    assigns,  the   lot   (or 
piece  of  land,  describing  it<  contents,  boundaries, 
locality),  which    he   prays   tor,  with  the  condition  that 
he  shall   establish  it  within  a  year  and  a  day.  and  that 

it  shall  be  subject  to  the  public  charges.     St.   \  s 
Nearly  the  same  form  of  concession  was  used  in 
the  Spanish  authority.     There  was  usually,  howi 
a  stipulation  contained  in  them,  that  in  ease  the  condi- 


168  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

tions  of  improvement  and  cultivation  should  not  be 
complied  with,  the  lands  should  revert  to  the  king,  and 
some  instances  are  found  in  the  Livre  Terrien,  where 
that  resumption  has  taken  place.  At  first  these  grants 
were  proportioned  to  the  means  of  the  applicant,  but 
at  a  later  period  they  were  made  to  all  who  chose  to 
apply  for  them,  to  any  extent,  unconditionally,  and 
without  reference  to  the  ability  of  the  applicant.  The 
policy  of  the  government,  in  making  the  grants,  was 
to  settle  the  country ;  but  the  remoteness  of  this  pro- 
vince, and  the  extent  of  the  authority  necessarily 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  lieutenant  governors,  en- 
abled them  to  abuse  this  power,  and  it  is  said  to  have 
degenerated  into  a  system  of  favoritism.  Up  to  a 
certain  period,  the  means  of  the  cultivator  were  taken 
as  the  criterion  by  which  the  magnitude  of  the  grant 
was  regulated,  and  as  there  was  no  public  surveyor, 
the  difficulty  of  locating  large  tracts,  and  settling  the 
boundaries,  may  have  deterred  many  from  attempting 
such  speculations.  But  these  obstacles,  if  they  were 
such,  were  removed  by  the  appointment  of  a  surveyor 
general,  in  1795,  and  the  number  of  concessions  in- 
creased with  incredible  rapidity,  especially  in  the 
period  immediately  preceding  the  occupation  of  the 
country  by  the  American  government.  Previous  to 
the  appointment  of  M.  Soulard,  as  surveyor  general, 
in  1795,  the  whole  number  of  arpens  of  land  conceded 
to  individuals  did  not  exceed  50,000 ;  but  the  number 
granted  after  that  appointment,  amounted  to  2,150,969. 
The  government  of  the  United  States  recognises  the 
validity  of  all  titles  to  real  estate  acquired  under  the 
French  or  Spanish  governments ;  but  the  great  number 


INTI  ii  i>  Of  tin:  \\  i:st.  169 

of  these  grants,  and  the  negligence  with  which  they 
were  made,  baa  caused  great  perplexity  to  congress, 
and  to  the  courts  of  law* 

Under  the  administration  ofM.  St.  Ange,  St.  Louis 
assumed  the  appearance  of  a  town,  and  the  foundations 
of  social  order  were  laid.  The  soldiers  became  amal- 
gamated with  the  inhabitants;  comfortable  dwellings 
were  erected  ;  and  the  comm  m  //'•  /  ft,  as  they  are  now 
call  d,  were  opened  and  improved.  All  accounts 
which  have  reached  us,  a<rree  in  describing  the  go- 
vernment as  mild  and  patriarchal;  the  whole  commu- 
nity aeem  to  have  lived  together  as  a  single  family, 
under  the  guidance  of  a  common  father,  enjoying  a 
common  patrimony. 

A  curious  remark  has  occurred  to  us,  upon  a  com- 
parisoil  of  the  tir-t  settlements  of  the  English  and  the 
French.  Though  the  latter  nation  has  always  been 
inferior  to  the  former  in  the  mechanical  arts,  especially 
in  those  of  the  useful  kind;  and  though  the  English 
invariably  deny  to  the  French  any  adequate  perception 
of  the  enjoyments  embraced  by  themselves  under  the 
word  comfort,  both  thsse  propositions  would  seem  to 
be  reversed  by  the  evidence  to  which  we  allude.  The 
first  habitations  of  the  English  were  log  cabins,  the 
most  unsightly  and  comfortless,  and  their  descendants, 
to  this  day,  commence  all  their  villages  with  the  same 
rude  dwellings,  or  with  frail  erections  of  framed  tim- 
ber, while  the  garden  and  the  orchard  have  been  tar- 
dily introduced.  The  old  French  villages,  on  the  con- 
trary, consisted  of  substantia]  houses  of  stone,  or  of 
heavy  timber,  plastered  with  excellent  mortar,  encom- 
passed  by  piazzas,  and  surrounded  by  gardens  stocked 

VOL.    I 1") 


170  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

with  fruit,  and  enclosed  with  walls,  or  strong  stockades. 
The  first  habitations  of  the  English  have  mouldered 
away,  and  comparatively  few  relics  remain  to  attest 
their  character,  while  many  houses  in  the  French 
villages  have  been  left,  by  the  hand  of  time,  in  their 
primitive  integrity,  durable  moruments  of  the  taste 
and  comfort  of  the  original  proprietors.  The  excel- 
lence of  their  masonry  has  been  often  remarked ;  the 
walls  of  Fort  Chartres,  though  long  since  abandoned, 
and  left  exposed  to  the  elements,  are  so  indestructible, 
that  the  inhabitants  of  the  neighbourhood,  in  attempt- 
ing to  remove  the  materials,  have  found  it  difficult  to 
take  them  apart. 

In  1768,  after  St.  Ange  had  governed  at  St.  Louis 
three  years,  Mr.  Rious  arrived  with  Spanish  troops, 
and  took  possession  of  Upper  Louisiana,  in  the  name 
of  his  catholic  majesty ;  but  did  not  exercise  any  juris- 
diction, as  it  appears  from  the  records  in  the  Livre 
Terrien,  that  St.  Ange  continued  to  perform  official 
acts  until  1770.  It  is  inferred,  that  the  reluctance  of 
the  inhabitants  to  submit  to  the  change  of  rulers  was 
so  great,  that  it  was  judged  prudent  to  defer  the  asser- 
tion of  the  new  authority,  until  the  dissatisfaction 
caused  by  the  transfer  of  the  country  had  worn  away, 
and  the  people  become  reconciled  to  their  new  master. 
The  wisdom  of  this  policy  became  apparent,  in  the 
firm  attachment  which  was  displayed  towards  the 
Spanish  government,  so  that  when  the  province  was 
retroceded  to  France,  in  1800,  the  people  again  ex- 
pressed their  dissatisfaction  at  the  change  ;  and  they 
were  not  less  displeased  at  the  subsequent  transfer  to 
the  United  States. 


-Kill   111-   OF  THE  WMffi  171 

In  17<>7.  was  founded  Vuide  Poche,  which,  in  1796, 
took  the  name  of  Carondelet.  Florissant  was  founded 
in  17(59:  Lea  Petitea  Cotes  was  settled  in  1709,  and 
called  St.  Chariee  in  1804. 

The  inhabitants  of  St.  Louis  continued  for  about 
fiftei  n  years  to  live  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  In- 
dians, without  molestation,  and  without  any  apprehen- 
sion of  danger.  The  first  hostilities  do  not  appear  to 
have  arisen  out  of  any  quarrel  between  the  parties 
themselves,  but  resulted  from  the  contest  raging  be- 
tween Great  Britain  and  her  colonies.  In  1777,  a 
rumour  came  to  this  remote  spot,  that  an  attack  would 
shortly  he  made  upon  the  town,  by  the  Canadians  and 
such  Indians  as  were  friendly  to  the  English.  The 
village  was  then  almost  destitute  of  military  defences, 
but  the  inhabitants,  including  little  more  than  a  hun- 
dred men,  immediately  proceeded  to  inclose  it  with  a 
kind  of  wall,  about  six  feet  high,  formed  of  the  trunks 
of  small  trees,  planted  in  the  ground,  the  interstices 
being  filled  with  earth.  It  described  a  semiciicle, 
resting  upon  the  river,  above  tfhd  below  the  town, 
flanked  by  a  small  fort  at  one  extremity,  and  a  less 
important  work  at  the  other.  It  had  three  gates  for 
egress  towards  the  country,  each  defended  by  a  piece 
of  heavy  ordnance,  which  was  kept  continually  charged. 
For  a  while,  these  preparations  seemed  to  have 
been  needless;  winter  passed  away,  and  spring  came, 
without  any  attack;  the  labours  of  husbandry  were 
resumed,  and  the  villagers  laid  aside  their  fears,  and 
their  military  exercises. 

In  May,  1778,  the  attack  was  made,  in  a  manner 
characteristic  of  the  times  and  place.     The  force  of 


172  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

the  enemy,  consisting  of  a  motley  band  of  about  four- 
teen hundred  men,  collected  from  various  tribes  resid- 
ing on  the  lakes,  and  the  Mississippi — Ojibeways, 
Menomenies,  Winnebagoes,  Sioux,  Saukies,  and  some 
Canadians — assembled  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the 
Mississippi,  a  little  above  St.  Louis,  awaiting  the  6th 
of  May,  the  day  fixed  for  the  attack.  The  5th  of 
May  was  the  feast  of  Corpus  Christi,  a  day  highly 
venerated  by  the  inhabitants,  who  were  all  Catholics. 
An  assault  on  that  day  would  have  been  fatal ;  for  after 
attending  divine  service,  the  villagers,  old  and  young, 
men,  women,  and  children,  sallied  out  in  all  the  glee 
of  a  catholic  holiday,  unsuspicious  of  danger,  to  the 
neighbouring  prairie,  to  gather  the  ripe  strawberries, 
of  which  there  was  a  great  profusion.  The  town,  left 
unguarded,  could  have  been  easily  taken.  A  few  only 
of  the  enemy,  however,  had  crossed  the  river :  and 
these,  lying  ambushed  in  the  prairie,  made  no  effort  to 
disturb  the  peaceable  villagers,  who  were  frequently 
so  near  as  to  be  almost  in  contact  with  the  lurking 
savages.  But  the  latter  either  did  not  discover  the 
total  desertion  of  the  town,  or  with  the  known  perti- 
nacity of  the  Indian  character,  determined  to  adhere 
to  the  preconcerted  plan  of  attack. 

The  enemy  crossed  the  river  on  the  6th,  and  march- 
ed to  the  fields,  where  they  expected  to  find  the  most 
of  the  villagers  engaged  in  their  agricultural  pursuits. 
It  happened  that  but  few  were  there,  who  fled  under  a 
shower  of  bullets,  and  barely  escaped  with  the  aid  of 
their  friends  in  the  village,  who,  on  hearing  the  alarm, 
rushed  to  the  gates,  which  they  threw  open  to  receive 
their  comrades,  and  then  closed  against  the  enemy. 


tfCSTI  tOM   51    i  hi:    wt.st.  173 

The  Inhabitants,  men  and  women,  acted  with  spirit, 

and  the  -aval's,  after  receiving  a  WW  discharges  of 
grape  shot,  ntircd,  alter  killing  about  twenty  of  the 
whites.  An  Indelible  stain  was  fixed  upon  the  charac- 
ter «.('  the  commandant,  Leyba,  who  not  only  took  no 
shari-  of  the  danger,  hut  even  commanded  the  inhabit-' 
ant-  t.i  cease  fijrifyr,  and  used  such  exertions  to  cripple 
the  defence,  that  he  was  suspected  of  treachery;  while 

his  lieutenant,  Cartaboiia,  with  >i\f \  soldiers,  re- 
mained concealed  in  a  garret  during  the  whole  action. 
Tic  leader  ot*  colonial  history,  will  be  struck  with  the 
Coincidence  of  this  event  with  many  which  occurred 
in  all  the  American  colonies,  under  whatever  foreign 
dominion  j  the  inhabitants  were  often  plunged  into 
war-  with  the  Indians,  with  whom  they  had  no  quar- 
rel, by  the  policy  of  their  superiors — wars,  of  which 
the  edict-  fell  solelj  upon  themselves,  which  were 
prosecuted  by  their  arms,  and  successfully  terminated 
h\  their  valour.  This  first  attack  upon  St.  Louis, 
formed  an  era  in  the  history  of  the  place,  and  the  year 
in  which  it  occurred  Is  still  designated  by  the  inhabit- 
ants as  "  L'umirc  du  grand  co»//;."  The  town  was 
afterwards  more  -trongly  fortified,  and  was  not  again 
molested  by  the  Indians. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1785,  there  was  an  unparal- 
leled rise  of  the  Mississippi,  which  swelled  to  the 
extraordinary  height  of  thirty  feet  above  the  highest 
water  mark  previously  known.  The  town  of  Kaskas- 
kia  was  completely  inundated,  and  the  whole  of  the 
Ar;:cricttn  Bottom  overflowed.  This  year  forms  an- 
other era  in  the  reminiscences  of  the  old  inhabitants, 

l.v 


174  SKKCHM  OF  THE  WW. 

who  call  it  the  year  of  the  great  waters — ;;  L'annee  des 
grande.s  eau 

The  intercourse  with  New  Orleans  was  at  this 
period  neither  frequent  nor  easy.  The  only  mode 
of  transporting  merchandise,  was  by  means  of  keel- 
boats  and  barges,  which  descended  the  river  in  the 
wring,  and  returned  late  in  the  autumn.  The  pre- 
parations for  a  voyage  to  the  city,  as  New  Orleans 
was  called,  were  as  extensive  and  deliberate,  as  those 
which  would  now  be  made  for  a  voyage  to  the  East 
Indies.  Instead  of  the  rapid  steamboats  which  ren- 
der the  navigation  of  our  Long  rivers  bo  easy,  they  had 
the  tardy  and  fraii  barge,  slowly  propelled  by  human 
labour.  There  was  also  danger,  as  well  as  difficulty, 
in  the  enterprise  ;  a  numerous  band  of  robbers,  under 
the  command  of  two  men  named  Culbert  and  Magil- 
bray,  having  stationed  themselves  at  a  place  called 
"  La  riviere  aux  hards,"  Cottonwood  creek,  where 
they  carried  on  a  regular  and  extensive  system  of 
piracy.  As  the  ?oyage  was  long,  and  the  communi- 
cation between  the  two  ports  was  attempted  but  once 
a  year,  the  boats  were  generally  so  richly  laden,  that 
the  capture  of  one  of  them  afforded  wealth  to  the 
plunderers,  and  brought  ruin  upon  the  owner.  An 
incident  of  this  description,  illustrative  of  the  fact 
which  I  allude,  I  will  narrate,  as  I  find  it  in  an  excel- 
lent article  on  the  history  of  St.  Louis,  from  which  I 
have  already  quoted  liberally.* 

In  the   spring  of  17-7,  a   barge  belonging  to  Mr. 
Beausoliel,    had    started    from    New   Orleans,   jichly 

*  Illinois  Monthly  Magazine, 


1  7  8 

a  with  i  '        «.     A« 

<  •  k.  a  btaeae  ■prang  up 

and  r  in  ii'tl\  b)  .      I   lis  th< 

and  immediately  j  of  men  up 

n\-r    fol    the    purpose   i>t"  heai:i:._.      Tin     man-i 
was 
winch  has  ■  aueoliel's  is!  ind. 

id  jusl  pul  .   and 

ii  down.     The   dm  d  m 
•  r\    part  of 
1 1 
soli-  i  all 

he  possessed  in  the  purchase  of  the  barge  ami  it-  ear* 
go,  and  now   that 

This  I  the 

- 

.t    had   ;  I    it,  but  1*. -r  the 

gro,  who  wai 
I  tan  rath* 

dinarv  height,  \  in  person,  but  of  um 

activity,      i 
and    the    curl    of   bifl    hair,    al  I  "that    I 

>r  the  peculiar  chat  had 

:i  place,  in  him,  to  wh  arty. 

j  I  -  - 

- 
■ 

_    •     -  that 

und  r  circumstance^ 

loua   in   the   histoi  I  .   as 

soo; : 
began   to  n.  ;'  uncontrollable 


176  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

joy.  He  danced,  sang,  laughed,  and  soon  induced  his 
captors  to  believe  that  they  had  liberated  him  from 
irksome  slavery,  and  that  his  actions  were  the  ebulli- 
tions of  pleasure.  His  constant  attention  to  their 
smallest  wants  and  wishes,  too,  won  their  confidence, 
and  whilst  they  kept  a  watchful  eye  on  the  other 
prisoners,  they  permitted  him  to  roam  through  the 
vessel  unmolested  and  unwatched.  'J "his  was  the  state 
of  things  that  the  negro  desired  ;  he  seized  the  first 
opportunity  to  speak  to  Mr.  Beausoliel,  and  beg 
permission  to  rid  him  of  the  dangerous  intruders. 
He  laid  his  plan  before  his  master,  who,  after  a  great 
deal  of  hesitation,  acceded  to  it.  Cacasotte  then 
spoke  to  two  of  the  crew,  likewise  negroes,  and  en- 
gaged them  in  the  conspiracy.  Cacasotte  was  cook, 
and  it  was  agreed  between  him  and  his  fellow  con- 
spirators, that  the  signal  for  dinner  should  be  the 
signal  for  action.  The  hour  of  dinner  at  length  ar- 
rived. The  robbers  assembled  in  considerable  num- 
bers on  the  deck,  and  stationed  themselves  at  the  bow 
and  stern,  and  along  the  sides,  to  prevent  any  rising 
of  the  men.  Cacasotte  went  among  them  with  the 
most  unconcerned  look  and  demeanour  imaginable. 
As  soon  as  he  perceived  that  his  comrades  had  taken 
the  stations  he  had  assigned  to  them,  he  took  his  posi- 
tion at  the  bow  of  the  boat,  near  one  of  the  robbers, 
a  stout,  herculean  man,  who  was  armed  cap-a-pie. 
Every  thing  being  arranged  to  his  satisfaction,  Caca- 
sotte gave  the  preconcerted  signal,  and  immediately 
the  robber  near  him  was  struggling  in  the  waters. 
With  the  speed  of  lightning,  he  went  from  one  robber 
to  another,   and   in  less  than  three  minutes,  he  had 


-Krn  111-    (»F   tuk    wi:st.  177 

thrown  fourteen  of  thrni  overboard.  Then  seizing  an 
oar,  lie  struck  on  the  head  those  wh<»  attempted  to 
save  themselves  by  grappling  the  running  boards,  then 

Shot  with  the  muskets  that  had  been  dropped  mi  deck, 

those  who  swam  away.     In  the  mean  time,  the  other 

conspirators    were    not    idle,    hut    did    almosl    a-  much 

execution  as  their  leader.  The  deck  was  soon  cleared, 
and  the  robbers  that  remained  below,  were  too  lew  in 
number  to  ofler  any  resistance. 

Having  eol  nd  of  his  troublesome  visiters,  .Mr. 
Beausoliel  deemed  it  prudent  to  return  to  New  Or- 
leans. This  he  accordingly  did,  taking  care  when  he 
arrived  near  the  Cottonwood  creek,  to  keep  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  river.  He  reached  New  Orleans  and 
gave  an  account  of  his  capture  and  liberation  to  the 
governor,  who  thereupon  issued  an  order,  that  the 
boats  bound  for  St.  Louis  in  the  following  spring, 
should  all  go  in  company,  to  afford  mutual  assistance 
in  case  of  necessity.  Spring  came,  and  ten  keel- 
boats,  each  provided  with  swivels,  and  their  respective 
crews  well  armed,  took  their  departure  from  New  Or- 
leans, determined,  if  possible,  to  destroy  the  nest  of 
robbers.  When  they  ueared  the  Cottonwood  creek, 
the  foremost  boat  perceived  several  men  near  the 
mouth,  among  the  trees.  The  anchor  was  dropped, 
and  she  waited  until  the  other  boats  should  come  up. 
In  a  few  moments  they  appeared,  and  a  consultation 
was  held,  in  which  it  was  determined  that  a  sufficient 
number  of  men  should  remain  on  board,  whilst  the 
others  Bhould  proceed  <>n  shore  to  attack  the  robbers. 
The  boats  were  rowed  to  shore  in  a  line,  and  those 
appointed  for  that  purpose,  landed  and  began  to  search 


178  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

the  island  in  quest  of  the  robbers,  but  in  vain  ?  They 
had  disappeared.  Three  or  four  flat-boats  were  found 
in  a  bend  of  the  creek,  laden  with  all  kinds  of  valuable 
merchandise — the  fruits  of  their  depredations.  A  long 
low  hut  was  discovered — the  dwelling  of  the  robbers — 
in  which  were  stored  away  numerous  cases  of  guns, 
(destined  for  the  fur  trade,)  ammunition  and  provisions 
of  all  kinds.  The  greater  part  of  these  things  were 
put  on  board  the  boats,  and  restored  to  their  re- 
spective owners,  at  St.  Louis. 

This  proceeding  had  the  effect  of  dispersing  the 
robbers,  for  they  were  never  after  heard  of.  The 
arrival  of  ten  barges  together  at  St.  Louis,  was  an 
unusual  spectacle,  and  the  year  1788  has  ever  since 
been  called  the  year  vf  the  ten  boats. 

As  we  do  not  design  to  speak  of  the  history  of  the 
French  settlements  in  minute  detail,  we  shall  only  add 
that  there  were  several  others,  cotemporaneous  with 
those  which  we  have  mentioned,  the  chief  of  which 
were  Detroit  and  Vincennes.  The  former  was  founded 
in  1670,  the  latter  in  1702.  The  manners  and  habits 
of  the  people,  and  their  adventures,  were  similar  to 
those  we  have  described  ;  except  that  Detroit  being 
situated  at  a  more  exposed  point,  and  surrounded  by 
warlike  tribes,  who  were  engaged  in  hostilities  with 
each  other,  experienced  more  of  the  vicissitudes  of 
war. 

The  French  seem  to  have  been  mainly  induced  to 
penetrate  into  these  remote  regions,  in  search  of  the 
precious  metals  ;  an  eager  desire  for  which  had  been 
awakened  in  Europe  by  the  discoveries  of  the  Span- 
iards in  South  America,  and  by  a  general  belief  of  the 


SKI    H    l!l>    UF  THE    WEST.  179 

existence  of  similar  treasures  on  the  northern  conti- 
nent. Thai  such  was  the  (act,  la  sufficiently  proved 
by  the  frequent  mention  of  mines  and  minerala]  ba  ;ill 
the  ebarten  and  larger  grants  of  territory  made  by 
the  French  crown,  as  irelJ  u  l>\  the  aumerous  and  «\- 
sive  efforts  of  individuals  and  companies,  in  the 
pursuit  of  the  preci  us  ores. 

The  leaders  in  these  enterprises  were  gentlemen 
of  education  and  talents,  \\li«>  bad  no  inducements  to 
remain  in  these  remote  settlements,  after  the  dis» 
appointment  of  their  hopes,  and  either  returned  to 
France,  or  settled  in  Lower  Louisiana,  where  they 
found  a  more  Lr<'i>ial  climate  than  in  the  higher  lati- 
tude-. The  remainder  were  pacific  and  illiterate  rus- 
tics,  who    brought    no    property,    nor   entertained  any 

ambitious  views.     Few  of  them  had  come  prepared 
for  either  agricultuml  or  commercial   pursuits,  and 

when    tfa  of  sudden  wealth,  with  whieh   they 

had  been  d  in  led,  laded  from  before  them,  they  were 

not  disposed  to  engage  in  the  ordinary  employmeoti 

industry.     Perhaps  the  inducement,  as 

well    as    the    means,    was    wanting.      There    was    little 

•ut   for  agriculture,   where   there   was   no 

market  for  produce  :   there  could   be  few  arts,  and  but 

little  commerce,  at    points  BO  distant  from  the  abodes 

of  civilised  men.     They  were  besides  an  unenterpris> 

iag    and    contented    race,    who   were    ignorant   of  the 

prolific  resources  of  the  country  around  them,  sod 
destitute  of  the  slightest  perception  of  its  probable  des- 

tin\ — it-  rapid  advancement  in  population  and  im- 
provement Whatever  might  have  been  the  views  of 
their   government,    the   French   settlers   indulged  no 


180  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

ambitious  visions,  and  laid  no  plans,  either  for  territo- 
rial aggrandisement,  or  political  domination.  They 
made  no  attempt  to  acquire  land  from  the  Indians,  to 
organise  a  social  system,  to  introduce  municipal  regu- 
lations, or  to  establish  military  defences  ;  but  cheer- 
fully obeyed  the  priests  and  the  king's  officers,  and 
enjoyed  the  present,  without  troubling  their  heads 
about  the  future.  They  seem  to  have  been  even  care- 
less as  to  the  acqusition  of  property.,  and  its  transmis- 
sion to  their  heirs.  Finding  themselves  in  a  fruitful 
country,  abounding  in  game,  where  the  necessaries  of 
life  could  be  procured  with  little  labour,  where  no  re- 
straints were  imposed  by  government,  and  neither 
tribute  nor  personal  service  was  exacted,  they  were 
content  to  live  in  unambitious  peace,  and  comfortable 
poverty.  They  took  possession  of  so  much  of  the 
vacant  land  around  them,  as  they  were  disposed  to 
till,  and  no  more.  Their  agriculture  was  rude  ;  and 
even  to  this  day,  some  of  the  implements  of  husbandry, 
and  modes  of  cultivation,  brought  from  France  a  cen- 
tury ago,  remain  unchanged  by  the  march  of  mind,  or 
the  hand  of  innovation.  Their  houses  were  comforta- 
ble, and  they  reared  fruits  and  flowers  ;  evincing,  in 
this  respect,  an  attention  to  comfort  and  luxury,  which 
has  not  been  practised  among  the  English  or  Ameri- 
can first  settlers  ;  but  in  the  accumulation  of  property, 
and  in  all  the  essentials  of  industry,  they  were  indolent 
and  improvident,  rearing  only  the  bare  necessaries  of 
life,  and  living  from  generation  to  generation  without 
change  or  improvement. 

The  only  new  arts  which  the  French  adopted,  in 
consequence  of  their  change  of  residence,  were  those 


SKETCHES  OF  THE   WEST.  1"1 

connected  with  the  fur  trade.     The  fewwho  wen  BO- 

.1  in  merchandise,  turned  their  attention  almost 

exclusively  t<>  the  traffic  with  the  Indians,  while  ■ 

number  became  hunters  and    boatmen*      The 

S 

.  and  couriers  </<•?  now,  aa  they  are 
called,  form  a  peculiar  race  of  men.  They  are  active, 
sprightly,  and  remarkably  expert  in  their  vocation. 
With  all  the  vivacity  of  the  French  character,  they 
have  little  of  the  intemperance  and  brutal  coarseness 
usually  found  among  boatmen  and  mariners.  They 
are  patient  of  fatigue,  and  endure  an  astonishing  de- 
of  toil  and  exposure  to  weather.  Accustomed 
to  live  in  the  open  air,  they  pass  through  every  ex- 
treme, and  all  the  sudden  vicissitudes  of  climate,  with 
little  apparent  inconvenience.  Their  boats  are 
managed  with  expertness,  and  even  grace,  and  their 
toil  enlivened  by  the  song.  As  hunters,  they  have 
roved  over  the  whole  of  the  wide  plain  of  the  west, 
to  the  1!  mountains,  sharing  the  hospitality  of 

the  India;),  abiding  for  long  periods,  and  even  per- 
manently, with  the  tribes,  and  sometimes  seeking  their 
alliance  by  marriage.  As  boatmen,  they  navigate 
the  birch  canoe  to  the  sources  of  the  longest  rivers, 
and  pass  from  one  river  to  another,  by  laboriously 
carrvini:  the  paekages  of  merchandise,  and  the  boat 
itself,  across  mountains,  or  through  swamps  or  woods, 
so  that  no  obstacle  stops  their  progress.  Like  the 
Indian,  they  can  live  on  game,  without  condiment  or 
bread  ;  like  him  they  sleep  in  the  open  air,  or  plunge 
into  the  water  at  any  season,  without  injury. 

The  French  had  also  a  fort  on  the  Ohio,  about 
thirty-six  miles  above  the  junction  of  that  river  with 

vol.   i — 16 


182  SKETCHES    OF    THE    WEST. 

the  Mississippi,  of  which  the  Indians  obtained  posses- 
sion by  a  singular  stratagem.  A  number  of  them 
appeared  in  the  day  time  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river,  each  covered  with  a  bear-skin,  walking  on  all- 
fours,  and  imitating  the  motions  of  that  animal.  The 
French  supposed  them  to  be  bears,  and  a  party  cross- 
ed the  river  in  pursuit  of  them.  The  remainder  of 
the  troops  left  their  quarters,  and  resorted  to  the  bank 
of  the  river,  in  front  of  the  garrison,  to  observe  the 
sport.  In  the  mean  time  a  large  body  of  Indian 
warriors,  who  were  concealed  in  the  woods  near  by, 
came  silently  up  behind  the  fort,  entered  it  without 
opposition,  and  very  few  of  the  French  escaped  the 
carnage.  They  afterwards  built  another  fort  on  the 
same  ground,  which  they  called  Massacre,  in  memory 
of  this  disastrous  event,  and  which  retained  the  name 
of  Fort  Massac,  after  it  had  passed  into  the  hands  of 
the  American  government. 


SKETCHES    OF    THE    WEST.  183 


CHAPTER  II. 

Settlements  on  the  Ohio — Early  movements  in  Virginia — Views 
of  Gov.  Bpotowood — Settlement  of  Pittsburg — Travels  of  Car- 
ver— Expedition  of  Dunmore. 

While  the  French  were  engaged  in  exploring  and 
occupying  the  region  of  the  Mississippi,  the  shores  of 
the  Ohio  remained,  for  a  series  of  years,  unnoticed. 
Between  them  and  the  English  colonists  there  was  a 
Wide  expanse  of  country,  of  the  extent  and  value  of 
which  they  seemed  alike  ignorant.  We  have  Been 
thai  the  former  Bpoke  vaguely  of  the  Wabash,  as  a 
river  "coming  from  the  country  of  the  Iroquois  to- 
ward- New  England,"  and  the  latter  only  knew  of  the 
\\  est  as  a  wilderness  beyond  the  mountains.  A  natu- 
ral transition,  therefore,  brings  us  to  the  period  when 
our  own  immediate  ancestors  began  to  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  importance  of  that  country  which 
was  destined  to  be  the  richest  inheritance  of  their 
children. 

It  is  not  our  design  to  trace  the  footsteps  of  the 
pioneers  through  all  their  wanderings,  to  depict  their 
personal  adventures,  or  to  describe  their  various  con- 
HirN  with  the  savage  tribes.  These  minute  details, 
however  interesting,  must  be  left  to  other  hands.  We 
shall  only  attempt  a  rapid  summary  of  a  few  prominent 
events. 


184  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

We  have  no  means  of  ascertaining  how  the  early- 
English  colonists  became  impressed  with  a  sense  of 
the  importance  of  the  country  west  of  the  mountains, 
or  what  was  the  extent  of  their  knowledge.  It  was 
probably  derived  chiefly  from  the  French,  who  were 
not  solicitous  to  publish  their  discoveries,  and  came 
with  all  the  vagueness  of  rumour,  and  all  the  exagge- 
rations of  surmise.  Certain  it  is,  that  a  belief  was 
entertained  in  Virginia,  at  a  very  early  period,  of  the 
existence  of  a  wide  and  fertile  territory  beyond  the 
mountains  ;  and  the  English  governors  cast  a  jealous 
eye  at  the  movements  of  the  French  in  that  direction. 
In  1719,  Law's  celebrated  Mississippi  scheme  was  at 
the  climax  of  its  popularity  ;  and  this  event,  if  no  other 
had  previously  attracted  notice,  must  have  turned  the 
attention  of  our  ancestors  to  that  region. 

In  a  work  entitled  "  The  Present  State  of  Virginia, 
by  Hugh  Jones,  A.  M.,  chaplain  to  the  honourable  as- 
sembly, and  minister  of  Jamestown,"  printed  in  1724, 
we  find  the  following  information  : 

"  Governor  Spotswood,  when  he  undertook  the  great 
discovery  of  the  passage  of  the  mountains,  attended 
with  sufficient  guard  of  pioneers  and  gentlemen,  with 
sufficient  stock  of  provisions,  with  abundant,  fatigue 
passed  these  mountains,  and  cut  his  majesty's  name  in 
a  rock  upon  the  highest  of  them,  naming  it  Mount 
George;  and  in  complaisance,  the  gentlemen,  from 
the  governor's  name,  called  the  mountain  next  in 
height,  Movnt  Alexander. 

"  For  this  expedition  they  were  obliged  to  provide 
a  great  quantity  of  horse-shoes,  (things  seldom  used 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  country,  where  there  are  few 


SKETCHES    OF    THE    WEST.  1  "*r> 

stones,)  upon  which  account  the  governor,  upon  their 
return,  presented  each  of  hifl  companions  with  a  golden 
horse-shoe,  (some  of  which  I  have  seen  studded  with 
valuable  stone-,  resembling  the  heads  of  nails,)  with 
this  inscription  on  one  side:  .sit'  jurat  traiucendfrt 
montiw  :  and  on  the  other  is  written,  The  TramvAitunc 
Order. 

M  This  lie  instituted  to  i  ocourage  gentlemen  to  ven- 
ture l»a<k,  and  make  discoveries  and  new  settlements; 
an\  gentleman  being  entitled  to  wear  this  golden  shoe, 
who  can  prove  his  having  drunk  his  majesty's  health 
upon  Mount  (Jeorge." 

These  facts,  the  accuracy  of  which  we  bave  no  rea- 
son to  doubt,  are  very  curious.  One  bundled  years 
ISO,  the  region  that  we  inhabit  was  almost  unknown, 
and  entirely  inaccessible  to  the  inhabitants  of  ^  irginia- 
Governor  Bpotswood  "  undertook  the  great  discovery," 
in  a  spirit  of  enterprise  similar  t<»  that  which  prompted 
the  ardent  genius  of  Columbus;  we  can  imagine  the 
preparation,  the  pomp,  pride,  and  circumstance,  which 
must  have  preceded  and  attended  this  novel  enterprise. 
The  colonial  jrovernor  was  no  doubt  arrayed  in  all  the 
imposing  insignia  of  vice-royalty.  A  body  of  pioneers 
•  •ded  his  march,  guards  surrounded  bis  person, 

and  a  long  train  of  pack-horses  carried  tents  and  pro- 
as.    The  chivalrous  gentry  of  Virginia   pressed 

forward,  with  a   noble   emulation,  to   share  in  the  dan- 

bs  adventure.     Thej  bad  tang  looked  towards  the 

blue  summits  of  the  distant  mountains,  thai  lined  their 

vw  frontier,  with  intense  eurioeitj  ;  and  perhaps 

had  ventured  singly,  or  ha  small  parties,  t<»  the  bases 

of  these  rocky  acclivities,  which  seemed  to  present  an 

16* 


186  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

impassable  barrier  against  the  advance  of  civilised 
man.  Now  they  came  prepared  to  scale  the  ramparts 
of  nature,  to  discover  new  lands,  and  to  extend  the 
empire  of  their  king  into  new  regions.  "  With  abun- 
dant fatigue,"  they  reached  the  summit  of  one  of  these 
ridges,  and  looked  back  in  admiration  upon  the  broad 
plains  and  wooded  valleys  of  the  ancient  dominion. 
But  we  do  not  learn  that  they  obtained  a  glimpse  of 
the  fertile  west ;  and  knowing,  as  we  now  do,  that  the 
Alleghany  chain  consists  of  a  number  of  parallel  ridges, 
occupying  a  space  of  more  than  sixty  miles  in  width, 
we  suppose  it  probable  that  they  did  not  penetrate  far 
into  these  mountainous  recesses.  It  is  even  possible 
that  one  of  the  lesser  range,  called  the  "  Blue  Moun- 
tains,"  might  have  been  the  limit  of  their  travels. 

They  little  dreamed  of  the  breadth,  the  length,  and 
the  resources,  of  the  great  valley  whose  verge  they 
had  approached  ;  nor  imagined  that  a  region  lay  be- 
yond them,  wrapped  in  the  silent  splendour  of  unbro- 
ken forests,  which, "in  extent,  beauty,  and  magnificence, 
far  exceeded  the  territories  which  had  previously  been 
subdued  by  our  ancestors,  at  so  great  an  expenditure 
of  life  and  wealth.  They  were,  perhaps,  not  even 
aware  that  the  French  were  even  then  building  forts 
and  villages,  planting  the  grape,  and  playing  the  violin, 
upon  the  borders  of  the  Mississippi.  Still  less  could 
they  foresee  the  changes  which  a  century  would  pro- 
duce ;  that  great  states  would  grow  up  beyond  these 
mountains,  upon  which,  with  so  much  triumph,  they 
drank  his  majesty's  health — that  stages  and  pleasure- 
carriages  would  be  rapidly  whirled  over  these  Alpine 
precipices — and  that  fashionable  parties  would  reson 


II  I  ii  111  >  09  Tin:  w  i  - 1  .  1  **7 

in  crowds  to  watering-places,  in  the  romantic  ralleyi 
of  tin'  Alleghany  chain. 

- 

In  17^!>.  at  the  commencement  of  the  war  I 

it  Britain  and  Spain,  Sp  ,  who  wis  no*  longer 

poor,  was  placed  ;it  the  head  of  the  colonial  troops 

of  Virginia,  and  assured  thai  hi-  favourite  project,  <»t" 

occupying  tin-  i  red  by  the  <>hi<>,  should  be 

carried  into  immediate  operation.     Some  preparations 

made,  and  the   -j>irit   of  adv<  oture   wa 
awakened   in   Virginia;  but  the  death   <'i"  Spots* 
caused  the  enterprise  to  1»<-  abandoned. 

The  situation  of  Pittsburg, at  the  head  of  the  Ohio, 
and  at  the  confluence  i  f  th<-  Monongahela  and  Alle- 
ghany  ri  is  probably  first  ooticed  for  its  milil 

rather  than   it-  commercial   adyan  vl  hen   the 

French  determined  blish  a  chain  <>j"  posts  :' 

Canada  to  Louis  ie  of  t!.  important 

Fort  du  Q<icsiu\  situated  at  tlii-  It  did  Dot 

rape  the*  militar  '   >  ,  *  hen  hi 

this  country  several  years  before  the  revolution,  on  a 
mission  from  th<  oment  of  Virginia;  and,  in  nil 

despatches,  he  spoke  of  its  importance  with  a  pro- 
phetic spirit.     During  the  struggle, which  is  commonly 
called  "Braddock*s  War,"  in  1756,  Fort   l>a  Qu 
changed   masters  ;   and   the  English,  abandoning  the 

rinal  work,  which  was  probably  a 
built  a  n  jdar  fortification  on  a  rite  immediately 

adjoining,  which  they  named   Foti  Pitt.     This 
erected  on  a  l<»w  point  of  land,  and  commanded  by 
hills  (.n  everj  si  uld  appear,  to  a  soldier"  of  the 

•  nt  day,  t<»  have  been  untenable,  and  consequently 
useless;  nor  can  the  reasons  of  it-  original  establish- 


188  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

merit  and  subsequent  importance  be  ascertained,  with- 
out recurring  to  the  history  of  those  times.  As  a 
place  of  deposit  for  military  stores,  it  possessed  singu- 
lar advantages  in  the  facilities  which  it  afforded  for 
their  transportation — as  there  is  no  other  spot  from 
which  they  could  have  been  distributed  with  equal 
celerity,  or  over  so  large  an  extent  of  country.  Nor 
was  its  situation,  with  regard  to  defence,  so  desperate 
as  we  might  at  first  imagine.  It  is  to  be  recollected, 
that  in  those  days  there  was  little  or  no  artillery  west 
of  the  mountains  ;  and  that  it  was  considered  as  almost 
impossible  to  pass  the  Alleghany  ridge  with  a  carriage 
of  any  description.  There  was  little  reason  to  appre- 
hend that  any  ordnance  would  be  brought  to  assail  the 
ramparts  of  that  insulated  fortress,  which  seemed  des- 
tined to  assert  the  sway  of  Britain  over  a  boundless 
wilderness.  But,  notwithstanding  this  imaginary  secu- 
rity, the  works,  of  which  there  are  extensive  ruins 
still  visible,  seem  to  have  been  built  after  the  usual 
fashion  of  that  period,  and  to  have  had  the  strength, 
as  well  as  the  form,  of  a  regular  fortification.  A  bomb- 
proof magazine  was  extant,  a  {ew  years  ago,  in  good 
preservation.  This  fort  is  said  to  have  been  built  by 
Lord  Stanwin,  and  to  have  cost  the  British  govern- 
ment sixty  thousand  pounds  sterling.  As  it  would 
seem,  by  placing  it  at  this  exposed  spot,  that  an  attack 
by  artillery  was  not  apprehended ;  and  as,  if  such  an 
attack  had  been  made,  resistance  would  have  been  in 
vain — it  is  difficult  to  conceive  what  could  have  been 
the  motives  of  the  builders  in  giving  it  such  strength 
and  regularity.  We  must  either  suppose  that  their 
military  habits  prevailed  over  the  better  dictates  of 


U  i  n  ii  H  Of  'mi:  w  i>  i .  1  89 

prudence,  or  that  tin  \  intended  to  impress  their  [ndian 
neighbours  with  an  exalted  opinion  (.r  their  security 
and  power.  It  is  said,  that,  Bhortly  after  the  English 
sion,  the  Indian  traders  built  a  row  of  fine 
brick  houses  cu  the  margin  of  th<-  Alleghany,  but  that 
their  foundations  were  sapped  l»\   the  encroachments 

of  the  rifer ;  do  vestige  of  them  remains.     Al i  the 

17(i<>.  a  small  town  was  built  near  Fort  Pitt, 
which  contained  Dearly  two  hundred  sonls .-  but  <>n  the 
iking  out  of  tin'  Indian  war,  in  1763,  the  inhabit- 
ants retired  into  tin-  fort,  and  their  dwellings  wire 
Buffered  t<>  fall  into  decay.  The  British  ofhN 
some  fine  gardens  here,  railed  tin-  "  King's,"  and 
"Artillery"  gardens,  and  large  orchards  of  choice 
fruit ;  the  old  inhabitants  of  the  present  town  recollect 
them;  hut  there  are  now  no  remains  of  these  early 
attempts  at  luxury  and  comfort 

After  Fort  Pitt  came  into  the  possession  of  the 
Americans  it  was  occupied  hut  for  a  BDort  time,  when 
the  garrison  was  removed  to  a  spot  about  a  mile 
further  up,  on  the  Alleghany  river,  where  a  picket- 
work  and  block-houses  were  erected,  and  called  Fort 
Fayette.  This  post  was  occupied  by  the  United 
State-*  troops  until  the  erection,  within  a  few  years 
past,  of  the  arsenal,  two  miles  further  up. 

Pittsburg  was  fust  laid  out  in  the  year  1765 ;  it 
was  afterwards  laid  out,  surveyed,  and  completed  on 
its  present  plan,  in  1784,  by  Colonel  (leor^e  Woods, 
by  order  of  Tench  Francis,  Esq.  attorney  for  John 
Penn,  and  John  Penn,  junior.  The  increase  of  the 
town  was  not  rapid  until  the  year  17'J'J,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  inroads  of  the  savage   tribes,  which 


190  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

impeded  the  growth  of  the  neighbouring  settlements. 
The  western  insurrection,  more  generally  known  as 
the  "  Whiskey  War,"  once  more  made  this  the  scene 
of  commotion,  and  is  said  to  have  given  Pittsburgh  a 
new  and  reviving  impulse,  by  throwing  a  considerable 
sum  of  money  into  circulation.  Since  that  time  it 
has  increased  rapidly,  and  a  few  years  ago  was  erect- 
ed into  a  city. 

In  1765,  John  Carver  explored  the  western  country, 
confining  himself  chiefly  to  the  regions  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  northern  lakes.  He  was  a  native  of  Connecti- 
cut, and  a  captain  in  the  British  army.  After  having 
spent  two  years  and  a  half  in  dangerous  and  painful 
wanderings,  and  traveled  seven  thousand  miles,  he 
went  to  England  with  his  family,  in  1769,  indulging 
the  expectation  of  being  rewarded  for  his  labours. 
But  the  difficulties  then  existing  between  Great 
Britain  and  her  colonies,  induced  the  former  to  sup- 
press every  thing  that  tended  to  give  information  of 
the  power,  wealth,  and  future  prospects  of  this  coun- 
try;  and  Captain  Carver  obtained  merely  a  reim- 
bursement of  the  sums  he  had  actually  expended  on 
his  travels,  on  condition  of  delivering  up  the  original 
journals  to  the  board  of  trade.  He  took  care,  how- 
ever, to  keep  a  copy,  which  he  published  several  years 
afterwards. 


nan  wu  of  thi.  u  ■  r.  l!>i 


(II  LPTER  III. 

Wwt  of  1763— ISaco  of  1764    Scttlementi  in  tr—teni  Virginia 

—  E  irly  land  1 1 1 1* - — V  . In  e  of  land — W.ir  of  177  1  —  Lewis's  ex- 
pedition—DuMDOlVl  treaty —  Heroism  of  1'ornstulk — Clia- 
ractcr  of  General  Lewis. 

The  yean  1*763  and  17»>1  arc  memorable  for  the 
pride  extent  and  destructive  results  of  an  atrocious 
war  of  extermination,  carried  on  by  a  combination  of 
all  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  western  country,  against 
the  whole  frontier  settlements  of  Virginia,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  North  Carolina. 

The  peace  of  1763,  by  which  the  whole  of  Canada 
was  ceded  to  Great  Britain,  was  particularly  unac- 
ceptable to  the  Indians,  who  disliked  the  English,  and 
preferred  the  French  to  all  other  European-  :  and  who 
pecially  averse  to  this  measure,  because  it  was 
understood  that  the  British  claimed  all  the  country 
west  <>f  the  mountains.  They  recognised  no  distinc- 
tion  between  jurisdiction  and  possession,  and  supposed 
thai  having  gained  Canada,  the  English  would  pro- 
le both  that  and  the  western  plains,  as 
rapidl]  as  might  suit  their  own  convenience. 

The  erection  erf  forts,  or  the  improvement  of  those 
which  had  been  established,  at  Pittsburg,  Bedford, 
nier,  Niagara,  Detroit,  Presque  Isle,  St.  Joseph, 
and  MichUimackinac,  confirmed  this  supposition;  and 
th<-  Indians  finding  themselves  curbed  by  a  strong 
line  of  forts,   which   threatened   an  extension  of  the 


192  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

white  population  into  the  heart  of  their  country,  took 
up  arms  with  alacrity,  for  the  defence  of  their  hunt- 
ing grounds,  and  for  the  prosecution  of  a-more  decisive 
contest  than  auy  in  which  they  had  been  heretofore 
engaged.  They  resolved  on  the  general  massacre 
of  all  the  English  settlers  west  of  the  mountains, 
as  well  as  those  in  the  region  of  the  Susquehanna,  to 
which  they  laid  claim. 

Never  was  a  war  carried  on  with  more  cunning  and 
ferocity,  and  on  no  occasion  did  the  Indian  warriors 
exhibit  a  greater  degree  of  military  skill,  and  daunt- 
less courage,  than  in  this  war,  which  was  especially 
marked  by  all  the  horrors  of  savage  malignity — the 
burning  of  houses,  the  massacre  of  women  and  child- 
ren, and  the  torture  of  prisoners.  The  English 
traders  were  the  first  victims  :  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  of  these,  scattered  among  the  Indian  tribes, 
only  three  escaped.  The  forts  at  Presque  Isle,  St. 
Joseph,  and  Mackinac,  were  surprised,  and  their  gar- 
risons slaughtered,  while  the  other  posts  were  main- 
tained with  great  difficulty. 

Detroit  and  Fort  Pitt,  being  the  most  important 
posts,  their  capture  was  attempted  with  great  eager- 
ness, and  a  series  of  military  operations  occurred  at 
these  places,  which  we  shall  not  repeat,  as  they  have 
been  related  in  detail  in  the  general  histories  of  those 
times. 

This  war  was  concluded  in  the  latter  part  of  1764, 
by  a  treaty  made  at  the  German  flats,  by  Sir  William 
Johnstone  ;  and  a  peace  of  nearly  ten  years  continu- 
ance ensued,  during  which  the  settlements  on  the 
Monongahela  increased  with  great  rapidity. 


SKi:n  BBS  09  FBI  wi:st.  193 

The  settlements  in  western  Virginia  and  Pennsyl- 
vania began  to  attract  notice,  along  the  Mononga- 
hela,  and  between  thai  river  and  the  Laurel  Ridge,  in 
the  year  1772,  ami  reached  tin-  Ohio  in  tin*  succeed" 
ing  year.  The  forts  at  Redstone,  now  Brownsville, 
and  at  Wheeling,  were  among  the  first  and  most  con- 
spicuous. The  settlers  were  chiefly  from  Maryland 
and  Virginia;  and  the  route  they  pursued  was  the 
scarcely  practicable  path  called  "  Braddock's  trail," 
which  tli<'\  traveled  with  no  better  means  of  convey- 
ance for  their  furniture  and  provisions,  than  that 
afforded  by  pack  horses. 

Another,  but  less  numerous  emigration,  came  from 
Pennsylvania,  by  way  of  Bedford  and  Fort  Ligonier, 
to  Fort  Pitt,  which  was  then  supposed  to  be  within 
the  charter  of  Virginia. 

The  great  object  of  most  of  these  persons  was  to 
obtain  the  possession  of  land  ;  the  title  to  which  cost 
little  more  than  tin;  payment  of  otiici  l\-c<i.  The  In- 
dian title  \v;is  not  then  considered,  by  individuals,  as 
presenting  any  obstacle,  and  Virginia  confirmed  the 
titles  of  settlers,  with  no  other  restrictions  than  such 
as  were  necessary  to  prevent  the  confusion  of  interfer- 
ing claims.  At  an  early  period,  that  state  appointed 
three  commissioners  to  give  certificates  of  settlement 
rights,  which  were  sent  with  the  surveyor's  plot  to  the 
land-office, where  they  remained  six  months,  to  await 
tli"  interposition  of  caveat-,  l>\  other  claimants,  to  the 
same  land.  It"  none  were  offered  within  that  period, 
the  patents  were  issued. 

There    was   an   inferior   kind   of    title   invented   by 
those   rude    borderers,    called  a    "tomahawk-right," 

vol.  i. — 17 


194  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

which  was  made  by  deadening  a  few  trees  near  a 
spring,  and  marking  others,  by  cutting  in  the  bark 
the  initials  of  the  person  who  thus  took  possession. 
This  ceremony  conferred  no  legal  property,  but  was 
respected  by  the  settlers  as  establishing  a  priority  of 
claim,  with  which  it  was  discreditable  to  interfere. 
These  rights  were  therefore  often  bought  and  sold, 
because  those  who  wished  to  secure  favourite  tracts  of 
land,  chose  to  buy  the  tomahawk  improvements,  rather 
than  quarrel  with  those  who  had  made  them. 

The  settlement  right  at  that  time,  was  limited  to 
four  hundred  acres  ;  and  many  of  the  primitive  settlers 
seemed  to  regard  this  amount  of  the  surface  of  the 
earth,  as  the  allotment  of  Divine  Providence  for  a 
single  family,  and  believed  that  it  would  be  sinful  to 
monopolise  a  larger  quantity.  Most  of  them  content- 
ed themselves  with  that  number  of  acres,  and  those 
who  evaded  the  law  by  availing  themselves  of  the 
names  of  others,  to  obtain  more  than  one  settler's  por- 
tion, were  held  in  disrepute.  It  was  thought  that 
when  an  individual  had  gained  as  much  land  as  was 
necessary  to  support  his  family,  the  remainder  belong- 
ed of  right  to  whoever  might  choose  to  settle  upon  it.* 

An  authentic  anecdote  is  related,  of  a  worthy  pio- 
neer in  western  Virginia,  who,  in  addition  to  his  im- 
provement right,  became  lawfully  seized  in  fee  simple, 
of  an  adjoining  tract  of  two-hundred  acres  ;  but  being 
a  pious  and  upright  man,  and  thinking  it  wrong  to  appro- 
priate to  himself  more  than  he  considered  the  lawful 
share  of  one  individual,  his  conscience  would  not  permit 
him  to  retain  it  in  his  family.  He  gave  it  therefore  to  a 

*  Doddridge's  Notes. 


SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST.  195 

young   man   who  had   hcen   his  apprentice  ;    and  the 
latter  sold  it  for  a  cow  and  calf,  and  a  wool  hat. 

The  division  lines  between  those  whose  lands  ad- 
joined, were  amicably  arranged  between  the  parties, 
previous  to  any  actual  survey  :  and  in  making  this 
partition,  they  were  chiefly  guided  by  the  tope  of  the 
ridges,  and  the  water-courses,  but  particularly  the 
former.  Hence  a  large  Dumber  of  the  farms  in 
western  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  bear  a  striking  re- 
semblance to  an  amphitheatre.  The  buildings  occupy 
a  low  situation,  near  a  spring,  and  the  tops  of  the 
surrounding  hills  are  the  boundaries  of  the  tract. 
The  farmers  prided  themselves  in  an  arrangement, 
which  they  alleged  to  be  attended  with  the  con- 
venience, "  that  every  thing  came  to  the  house  down 
hill.''  The  tracts  of  land  in  Ohio  having  been  laid 
out  by  parallel  lines,  the  farms  do  not  present  this 
peculiarity. 

The  pioneers  placed  little  value  upon  their  lands 
in  consequence  of  an  apprehension  that  the  soil  would 
soon  "  wear  out,"  or  become  impoverished  by  culture. 
They  were  unaccustomed  to  the  use  of  manure,  and 
wholly  unacquainted  with  the  modern  systems  of  agri- 
culture, by  which  the  exhaustion  of  the  fertilising 
juices  of  the  soil  is  remedied  ;  and  had  they  known 
them,  would  have  been  disinclined  to  the  labour  of 
such  careful  husbandry.  This  is  one  of  the  most  ob- 
vious causes  of  their  migratory  habits. 

The  race  of  pioneers  inhabiting  the  head  waters  of 
the  Ohio,  had  some  peculiarities,  which  distinguish 
them  from  those  of  Kentucky,  which  we  shall  point 
out  in  another  place.     At  present  we  shall  proceed  to 


196  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

give  a  rapid  outline  of  the  historical  events  which  at- 
tended the  first  settlement  of  this  part  of  the  west. 

The  destructive  war  that  broke  out  in  1774,  and 
threw  the  whole  frontier  into  consternation,  was  pro- 
voked by  the  misconduct  of  the  whites.  In  the  spring 
of  that  year,  a  rumour  was  circulated  that  the  Indians 
had  stolen  several  horses  from  some  land  speculators, 
who  were  exploring  the  shores  of  the  Ohio  and  Kena- 
wa  rivers.  No  evidence  of  the  fact  was  produced, 
and  the  report  has  since  been  considered  to  have  been 
false.  It  was,  however,  believed  at  the  time,  and  pro- 
duced a  general  impression  that  the  Indians  were 
about  to  take  up  the  hatchet  against  the  frontier  set- 
tlements. The  land  jobbers  ascended  the  river  and 
collected  at  Wheeling,  at  which  place  was  a  small 
station  commanded  by  Capt.  Cressap. 

Here  a  scene  of  confusion  and  high  excitement  en- 
sued. The  report  that  a  canoe  containing  two  In- 
dians, was  approaching,  was  sufficient  to  kindle  up  the 
incipient  fires  of  hatred  and  revenge.  Captain  Cres- 
sap proposed  to  take  a  party,  and  intercept  the  In- 
dians ;*  while  Colonel  Zane,  the  proprietor  of  the 
place,  decidedly  .objected  to  any  act  of  hostility 
on  the  part  of  the  whites,  oh  the  grounds  that  the 
killing  of  these  Indians  would  bring  on  a  general  war, 
while  the  act  itself  would  -be'a  criminal  murder,  which 
would  disgrace  the  names  of  the  perpetrators.  On 
the  frontier,  the  counsels  of  humanity  and  peace  are 
not  often  regarded  as  those  of  wisdom.  The  party 
set  out,  and  on  being  asked  at  their  return,  what  had 

*  Doddridge. 


um i-<  ii n  01  in i  p  i  - 1 •  197 

become  of  Um  Indians,  the  cool  reply  wis,  thai  M  they 
had  fallen  overboard  \n  The  fate  of  the  savage  war- 
riors was  oof  long  a  secret;  the  canoe  was  found 
bloody,  and  pierced  with  bullets;  the  tribes  Hew  to 
arms,  and  a  sanguinary  war  was  the  immediate  con- 
Bequence  of  this  and  other  acts  of  unprovoked  outrage* 
On.'  of  these  \\;i-  an  atrocious  attack  upon  a  part}  of 
Indians,  encamped  at  tin-  mouth  of  Captina  creek, 
committed  by  thirty-two  meu  under  the  command  of 
Daniel  Greathouse.  <>n  tin-  same  day,  on  which  the 
murder  occurred,  which  wo  have  just  described, 
another  was   perpetrated  at   Yellow   creek,   by  the 

same  party. 

The  whole  family  of  the  celebrated,  hut  unfortunate 
I.  ran,  were  comprehended  in  tin-  massacres,  at  Cap- 
tina  and  Fellow  creeks;  and  li<-  who  had  always  be  ii 
the  friend  of  tin-  whites,  and  the  efficient  advocate  of 
peace,  was  converted  by  the  Lawless  acts  of  a  few  un- 
principled individuals,  into  an  active  and  daring  enemy. 

Those  alone  who  have  reside. 1  upon  the  frontier, 
are  aware  of  ilu1  thrill  of  terror,  spread  by  such  an 
t.  among  the  scattered  inhabitants  of  the  border. 
Anticipating  immediate  retaliation,  and  not  knowing 
at  what  moment,  or  from  what  quarter,  the  blow  may 
come,  the  panic  spreads  with  the  rapidity  of  the 
wind.      Bold    and    hardy   as    the    borderer-    are,  when 

traversing  the  forest  alone  in  pursuit  of  game,  or  when 
assembled  for  battle,  they  cannot,  at  the  first  rumour 
of  an  Indian  war.  avoid  quailing  under  the  anticipated 

terrors  of  a  sudden  inroad  of  savage  hostility.  They 
know  that  their  enemy  will  steal  upon  them  in  the  eight, 
in  the  unguarded   hour  of  repose,  and  that  the  inno- 

17- 


198  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

cent  child  and  helpless  female  will  derive  no  protec- 
tion from  their  sex  or  weakness ;  and  they  shrink  at 
the  idea  of  a  violated  fireside,  and  a  slaughtered 
family.  The  man  who  may  be  cool,  when  his  own  life 
alone  is  exposed  to  danger,  or  whose  spirit  may  kindle 
into  enthusiastic  gallantry,  amid  the  animating  scenes 
of  the  battle  field,  where  armed  men  are  his  com- 
panions and  his  foes — becomes  panic-struck  at  the  con- 
templation of  a  merciless  warfare  which  shall  offer 
his  dwelling  to  the  firebrand  of  the  incendiary,  and 
his  family  to  the  tomahawk  of  the  infuriated  savage. 

Such  was  the  effect  of  the  unadvised  and  criminal 
acts  which  we  have  related.  A  sudden  consternation 
pervaded  the  whole  frontier.  A  war  unwelcome,  un- 
expected, and  for  which  they  were  wholly  unprepared, 
was  suddenly  precipitated  upon  them,  by  the  unbridled 
passions  of  a  few  lawless  men  ;  and  a  foe  always  quick 
to  resent,  and  ever  eager  to  shed  the  blood  of  the 
white  race,  was  roused  to  a  revenge  which  he  would 
not  delay  in  obtaining.  The  settlers  began  to  remove 
to  the  interior,  or  collect  in  log  forts  hastily  erected 
for  the  occasion.  Men  who  had  acquired  homes  by 
years  of  perilous  and  toilsome  labour,  who  had  plied 
the  axe  incessantly  in  clearing  away  the  immense 
trees  of  the  forest,  in  making  fences,  in  building 
houses,  in  disencumbering  the  land  of  its  tangled 
thickets,  and  bringing  it  into  culture — abandoned  all, 
and  fled  in  precipitation  to  places  of  safety.  In  every 
path  might  be  seen  the  sturdy  pioneer,  striding  lustily 
forward,  with  his  rifle  on  his  shoulder,  casting  wary 
glances  into  each  suspicious  dell  and  covert ;  and 
followed  by  a  train  of  pack-horses,  burthened  with  his 


SK  I  I  <  II  KS  OF  Tin:   \\  EST. 


1U9 


wife,  his  children,  and  such   movables  si  could    be 
transported  by  thi^  mode  of  conveyance. 

After  a  few  days  the  whole  scene  was  changed. 
The  frontier,  m  lately  peacefiil,  had  become  the  seat 
of  war.  The  neids  of  the  husbandman  were  ravaged  by 
the  Indian  ;  the  cabins  were  burned,  and  the  labours  of 
many  years  desolated.  The  fe*  'settlers  thai  incautious- 
ly remained  in  their  hoi  laughtered,  or  with 
difficult)  rescued  bj  their  friends.  The  prudent  men, 
whose  backs  had  lately  been  turned  upon  the  foe, 
having  placed  their  families  in  security,  were  now 
seen  in  arms,  either  defending  the  rude  fortresses, or 
eagerly  scouring  the  woods  in  search  of  the  enemy. 
However  reluctantly  they  bad  been  forced  into  the 
war,  they  bad  now  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the  con- 
test ;  the  inconveniences  they  had  suffered,  the  danger 
of  their  families,  and  the  sight  of  their  desolated 
hearths  and  blasted  fields,  had  awakened  in  their 
bosoms  a  hatred  a  4  Less  implacable  than  that  of  their 
savage  foemen. 

Expresses  were  seni  to  Williamsburgh,  the  seat  of 
government  of  Virginia,  announcing  the  commence- 
ment of  hostilities,  and  a  plan  was  immediately  matur- 
ed, for  a  campaign  against  the  Indians.  The  active 
commander  was  General  Lewis,  of  Botetourte  county. 
The  forces  were  to  rendezvous  in  Greenbrier  county. 
The  Earl  of  Dunmore  Was  to  raise  i  aother  army  to 
be  assembled  al  Fort  Pitt,  and  thence  to  descend  the 
n\er  to  Point  Pleasant,  al  the  mouth  of  the  ELenawa. 
On  the  eleventh  of  September, General  Lewis  with 
eleven  hundred  men,  commenced  his  march  from  his 
rendezvous  in  Green  Briar  for  Point  Pleasant,  distant 


2C0  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

one  hundred  and  sixty  miles.  The  country  to  be  tra- 
versed, was  at  that  time  a  trackless  desert,  wholly 
impassable  for  wheeled  carriages ;  the  ammunition 
and  provisions  were  carried  on  pack-horses  ;  and  the 
army,  led  by  a  pilot  acquainted  with  the  passes  of  the 
mountains,  and  the  Indian  pathways,  reached  Point 
Pleasant  after  a  laborious  march  of  nineteen  days. 

Lord  Dunmore,  to  the  great  disappointment  of 
General  Lewis,  did  not  make  his  appearance,  and  it 
was  not  until  after  a  painful  delay  of  nine  days,  that 
he  learned  by  an  express  from  that  nobleman,  that 
he  had  changed  his  plan  of  operations  and  marched 
for  the  old  Chillicothe  town,  at  which  place  he  instruct- 
ed General  Lewis  to   join  him. 

On  the  next  day,  the  Virginia  troops  were  attacked 
in  their  camp,  by  a  numerous  body  of  Indians,  com- 
posed of  the  Shawnee,  Delaware,  Mingo,  and  other 
tribes.  General  Lewis,  keeping  a  strong  reserve  in 
camp,  pushed  forward  a  detachment,  under  Colonels 
Charles  Lewis  and  Flemming,  who  met  the  Indians 
about  four  hundred  yards  in  front  of  the  camp,  and 
formed  in  two  lines  for  their  reception.  The  battle 
commenced  a  little  after  sunrise,  by  a  heavy  firing 
from  the  Indians,  and  so  vigorous  was  the  onset  that 
the  advance  was  soon  driven  in  upon  the  main  body. 
Here  they  were  rallied,  reinforced,  and  led  gallantly 
back  to  their  former  position.  The  Indians  were  now 
driven  until  they  entrenched  themselves  behind  a  line 
of  logs  and  trees,  extending  from  the  bank  of  the 
Ohio  to  that  of  the  Kenawa,  while  our  troops  occupied 
the  point  of  land  formed  by  the  junction  of  the  two 
rivers.     The  brave  Virginians  thus  hemmed  in,  with 


BKET4  111-   OF   THE    w  RS  I  . 


201 


rivers  in  their  rear  and  on  either  Sank,  and  a  vindic- 
tive foe  strongly  intrenched  in  their  front,  were  de- 
pendanf  on  their  courage  alone  for  succees.  Their 
oative  gallantry,  abh  directed  l»\  the  military  skill  of 
their  distinguished  leader,  proved  triumphant  The 
battle  was  kept  up  with  great  vivacity,  and  with  little 
change  of  position,  during  the  w  1 1« »1» ■  day,  ami  at  sun- 
set the  <li« irlted  -  ( *hio. 

Our  1"»-  in  this  sanguinary  battle  was  seventy-five 
killed,  and  one  hundred  and  forty  wounded.  Among 
tin-  killed  were  Col.  Charles  Lewis,  Col.  Fields;  Cap- 
tains Duford,  Murrey,  Ward,  Wilson,  and  M'Clena- 
lian  :  Lieuts.  Allen,  Goldsby,  Dillon,  and  some  inferior 
officers. 

The  number  of  Indians  emnun  d  was  never  sneer- 
tainedj  but  it  was  rendered  certain  that  their  loss  was 
at  least  equal  to  ours.  They  were  commanded  by 
Cornstalk,  the  celebrated  chief  warrior  of  tin-  Shaw- 
Deae,  who  displayed  the  most  consummate  skill  and 
bravery*  During  the  whole  of  the  day  his  voice  was 
heard,  vociferating,  with  terrific  energy,  in  his  own 
language — 4v  Be  strong  !  be  strong  !" 

On  the  evening  preceding  the  battle  he  had  pro- 
posed, in  a  council  of  his  confederal  »  personally 
to  the  camp  of  General  Lewis,  to  negotiate  a  peace. 
A  majority  of  the  warriors  voted  against  the  measure* 
••  Tli« -n."  said  the  intrepid  leader,  "since  you  are  re- 
-  lived  to  fight,  you  shall  tiirht.     It  is  likely  we  shall 

have  hard  work  to-morrow  :  but  if  any  warrior  -hall 
attempt  to  run  away  from  the  battle,  1  will  kill  him 
with  my  own  hand/'  It  i<  said  that  he  literally  ful- 
filled this  threat  upon  one  of  his  followers. 


202  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

After  the  Indians  had  returned  to  the  Chillicothe 
town,  Cornstalk  again  called  a  council.  He  reminded 
the  war  chiefs  of  their  obstinacy  in  preventing  him 
from  making  peace,  before  the  fatal  battle  of  Point 
Pleasant,  and  asked,  "  What  shall  we  do  now  ?  The 
Long  Knives  are  coming  upon  us  by  two  routes.  Shall 
we  turn  out  and  fight  them?"  All  were  silent.  He 
again  addressed  them  :  "  Shall  we  kill  all  our  squaws 
and  children,  and  then  fight  until  we  shall  all  be  killed 
ourselves  ?"  Again  a  dead  silence  reigned  among  the 
stern  leaders  of  the  Indian  host.  He  rose  up,  with 
the  dignity  of  one  who  felt  that  he  had  discharged  his 
duty,  and  striking  his  tomahawk  into  the  war-post,  in 
the  middle  of  the  council-house,  said,  "  Since  you  are 
not  inclined  to  fight,  I  will  go  and  make  peace."  He 
did  so. 

In  the  meanwhile,  Lord  Dunmore  descended  the 
river  to  Wheeling ;  and  thence  proceeded,  with  about 
a  hundred  canoes,  a  few  keel  boats,  and  some  pirogues, 
to  the  mouth  of  Hocking,  from  which  place  he  marched 
to  a  point  within  eight  miles  of  Chillicothe,  on  the 
Sciota.  Here  the  army  halted,  and  threw  up  intrench- 
ments  of  fallen  trees  and  earth,  which  included  about 
twelve  acres,  with  an  inclosure  of  strong  breast-works 
in  the  centre,  containing  about  one  acre.  The  latter, 
as  an  early  writer  significantly  remarks,  "  was  the 
citadel  which  contained  the  markees  of  the  earl  and 
his  superior  officers." — Doddridge. 

Before  the  army  reached  this  place,  the  Indian  chiefs 
had  sent  several  messages,  suing  for  peace,  which  Lord 
Dunmore  resolved  to  grant.  He  therefore  ordered 
General  Lewis  to  retreat.     The  brave  Virginian,  dis- 


-M.n  m  OF  THK  «  I  -  r.  208 

regarding  this  mandate,  continued  hi>  inarch  until  he 
joined  bis  superior,  when  the  order  was  repeated  and 
obeyed*  The  troops  were  greatly  chagrined  at  this 
termination  of  a  campaign  \shi«  h  had  thus  fai  been  so 
successful.  The  murder  <>f  some  of  their  relatiyes 
and  friends,  and  the  1"--  of  many  <>t"  their  brave  com- 
panions in  the  recent  battle,  had  kindled  a  desire  for 
p  venge,  which  they  were  disposed  t<»  Indulge  l»\  the 
destruction  of  all  tin-  Indian  town-  m  the  region  of  the 
ta.  The  order  of  Dunmore  was  therefore  obeyed 
with  indignation  and  regret,  and  Lewis  retired  towards 
Virginia,  while  the  carl  remained  with  bis  army  to 
trc;it  with  the  Indians. 

On  this  occasion  every  precaution  was  used  to  guard 
against  treachery,  and  only  a  limited  Dumber  of  chiefs, 
with  a  few  warriors,  were  permitted  to  enter  the  forti- 
fied encampment*  Cornstalk  opened  the  discussions 
1>\  an  eloquent  speech,  in  which  he  boldly  charged  the 
whites  with  having  provoked  the  war,  by  the  murders 
at  Captina  and  fellow  Creeks;  and  is  said  to  have 
spoken  with  such  vehemence,  that  he  was  heard  over 
tii  ■  a  hole  camp* 

It  was  on  this  occasion  that  Logan,  the  <'a\ 
chief,  sent   to  Lord  Dunmore  the  speech  which  has 
rendered  bis  name  so  c<  lebrated,  and  which  i-  justly 
ridered  as  one  of  the  fines!  specimens  ofeloqtn 
i  record.     Mr.  Jefferson,  who  preserved  this  beau- 
tiful and  affecting  effusion  of  native   feeling,  in   his 
r«  in  Virginia,  lias  been  accused  of  palming  upon 
the  world  a  production  of  bis  own,  by  those  who  have 
no  other  ground  for  the  suspicion  than  the  force  and 


204  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

feeling  of  the  composition  itself,  and  who  forget  that 
genuine  eloquence  is  not  the  offspring  of  refinement. 
But  all  doubt  on  this  subject  has  long  since  been  re- 
moved, by  the  testimony  of  General  Gibson,  of  Penn- 
sylvania, who  interpreted  the  speech  when  delivered, 
and  of  other  officers  who  were  present  at  the  treaty, 
and  who  many  years  afterwards  remembered  distinctly 
the  impression  made  upon  their  minds  by  the  affecting 
appeal  of  the  unlettered  chieftain. 

General  Andrew  Lewis,  who  acted  so  conspicuous  a 
part  in  this  campaign,  was  a  gentleman  of  whose  mili- 
tary abilities  General  Washington  entertained  so  high 
an  opinion,  that,  when  the  chief  command  of  the  revo- 
lutionary armies  was  tendered  to  himself,  he  recom- 
mended that  it  should  rather  be  given  to  General 
Lewis.  He  was  the  companion  of  Washington  in  the 
fatal  campaign  under  Braddock,  and  was  a  captain  in 
the  detachment  that  fought  at  Little  Meadows  in  1752. 
He  commanded  a  company  of  Virginians,  attached  to 
Major  Grant's  regiment  of  highlanders,  in  1758 ;  and, 
on  the  eve  of  the  battle  in  which  the  latter  was  so 
signally  defeated,  was  ordered  to  the  rear  with  his 
men,  in  order  that  he  might  not  share  the  honour  of 
the  expected  victory.  There  he  stood  with  his  brave 
Virginians,  impatiently  listening  to  the  reports  of  the 
musketry,  at  a  distance  of  more  than  a  mile  from  the 
battle-ground,  until  the  Europeans  were  defeated,  and 
wholly  exposed  to  the  merciless  tomahawk  of  the  In- 
dians ;  when,  without  waiting  for  orders,  he  rushed  to 
the  scene  of  slaughter,  and,  by  his  coolness  and  skill, 
turned  the  scale  of  victory,  drove  back  the  savages, 


SKETCHES   OF  THE   WEST.  205 

and  saved  the  regulars  from  massacre.  While  ad- 
vancing to  the  reoooe,  he  met  a  Scotish  Highlander 
under  full  flight  ;  and  on  enquiring  of  him  how  the 
battle  was  going,  the  panic-struck  soldier  replied,  they 
were  "  a'  beaten,  and  he  had  seen  Donald  M'Donald 
up  to  his  hunkers  in  the  mud,  and  a'  the  skin  atf  his 
heed." 


\<»l.  i — 18 


206  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

M'Intosb's    Expedition — Fort   Laurens — Moravian    towns — De- 
struction of  the  Moravians — Crawford's  campaign. 

In  the  spring  of  1778,  a  small  body  of  regular  troops 
was  sent  out  for  the  protection  of  the  western  fron- 
tiers, under  General  M'Intosh,  who  built  a  fort  on  the 
site  of  the  present  town  of  Beaver.  It  was  a  strong 
stockade,  with  bastions,  mounting  one  six-pounder. 

In  the  fall  of  that  year,  having  received  instructions 
to  make  a  campaign  against  the  Sandusky  towns,  he 
marched  in  that  direction  with  a  thousand  men,  but  it 
was  too  late  in  the  season  to  operate  efficiently.  He 
therefore  erected  Fort  Laurens  on  the  bank  of  the 
Tuscarawa,  and  leaving  a  garrison  there  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  men,  retired  to  Fort  Pitt. 

The  inexpediency  of  erecting  forts  so  far  in  advance 
of  the  settlements,  was  soon  experienced.  In  the 
month  of  January,  the  Indians  came  secretly  in  the 
night  and  caught  the  horses  that  were  grazing  near 
the  fort.  These  they  carried  off,  having  first  taken 
from  their  necks  the  bells  which  the  new  settlers  hung 
to  their  domestic  animals,  in  order  to  be  able  to  find 
them  when  running  at  large  in  the  woods.  They  then 
formed  an  ambuscade  by  the  side  of  a  path  leading 
from  the  fort,  and  in  the  morning  early  rattled  the 
bells  in  that  direction.  A  fatigue  party  of  sixteen 
men,  who  were  sent  out  as  usual  to  collect  the  horses, 


II  I'n  ii  MB  01  TBI   H  M  i-  201 

fell  into  (In*  snare.  Fourteen  were  killed  <>n  the  spot, 
and  two  taken*  In  the  evening  of  thai  day  tin-  whole 
Indian  ;irm\,  in  full  dress,  and  painted  for  war,  ap- 
peared <>n  the  prairie  in  sight  of  tin-  fort,  marching 
towards  it.  in  single  file,  with  every  martial  solemnity 
which  could  render  their  appearance  imposing.  Their 
number,  as  counted  from  one  of  the  bastions,  was 
eight  hundred  and  forty-seven.  They  encamped  on  a 
rising  ground  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  riser  from 

the  fort,  and  often  approached   so   near  as  to  hold  con- 
Mn  .n-    with   our   peopli — in   which    they   deplored 
the  war,  DUt  did  not  attempt    to   conceal    their  feelings 

of  exasperation  at  the  Americans  for  penetrating  so 
far  into  their  country.     After  besieging  the  fort  for 

about  six  weeks,  they  retired;  and  the  commander 
despatched  Colonel  Clark  to  Fort  M'Intosh,  with  the 
invalids,  under  a  -mall  escort  The  Indians,  antici- 
pating that  the  garrison  would  be  thrown  off  its  guard 
by  their  retreat,  had  left  a  party  lingering  behind, 
which  intercepted  this  little  detachment,  about  two 
mile-  from  the  fort,  and  killed  all  but  four. 

A  few  days  after  this  disaster,  General  M'Intosh 
came  to  the  relief  of  the  garrison,  with  a  body  of 
seven  hundred  men  and  a  supply  of  provisions,  of 
which  the  lately  besieged  part)  stood  in  great  need, 
but  the  greater  part  of  which  was  Lost  by  an  uncom- 
mon accident.  When  the  relieving  troops  were  about 
to  -liter  the  tort,  the  overjoyed  garrison  saluted  them 
by  a  genera]  discharge  of  musketry,  at  the  report  of 
which  the  pack-horses,  taking  fright,  broke  away  sud- 
denly from  their  drivers,  and  dashed  off  through  the 
-t  at  full  speed — scattering  the  provisions  in  every 


208  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

direction,  so  that  a  large  proportion  of  them  could 
never  be  recovered.  To  understand  fully  the  extent 
of  this  misfortune,  it  should  be  stated  that  the  garrison 
had  been,  for  two  weeks,  on  short  allowance  of  sour 
flour  and  damaged  meat — even  this  wretched  resource 
was  exhausted ;  and,  for  several  days  previous  to  the 
arrival  of  the  relief,  they  had  subsisted  on  raw  hides, 
and  such  roots  as  could  be  found  in  the  woods  and  prai- 
ries. Several  men  had  suffered  death,  in  consequence 
of  eating  poisonous  herbs.  Such  were  some  of  the 
incidents  of  border  warfare,  and  the  hardships  of  the 
brave  pioneers  who  led  the  van  of  civilisation  into  our 
beautiful  valley ! 

About  the  year  1772,  some  missionaries,  of  the 
order  of  Moravian  brethren,  succeeded  in  establish- 
ing a  community  of  Indians,  who  embraced  their 
faith,  and  who  were  collected  into  three  villages,  on 
the  Muskingum,  called  Salem,  Gnaden-huetten,  and 
Schoenbrund.  What  progress  they  made  in  imparting 
to  their  converts  the  arts  of  civilisation,  and  the  prin- 
ciples of  Christianity,  cannot  now  be  satisfactorily  as- 
certained. It  is  only  certain  that  they  induced  them 
to  live  in  peace,  and  to  engage  in  the  cultivation  of 
the  soil,  and  that  they  prospered  so  far  as  to  increase 
their  numbers  to  four  hundred  people.  The  times, 
however,  were  adverse  to  a  fair  trial  of  their  experi- 
ment, and  their  location  was  not  less  unpropitious. 
Occupying  a  position  midway  between  the  advanced 
settlements  of  the  whites,  and  the  villages  of  some 
of  the  hostile  Indians,  and  practising  a  pacific  de- 
meanour which  both  parties  alike  despised,  they  were 


■KETCHES  Ol     I  II  i:    W  l-  I'.  2W 

suspected  by  each  alternately  of  secretly  fav«  oring 

the  other. 

They  cootinoed  howefef  to  be  treated  with  some 
degree  of  respect,  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  re- 
volution in  1775,  when  their  situation  became  in  the 
highest  degree  embarrassing.  Marly  in  this  contest, 
the  British  government  enlisted  under  her  banners  the 
tomahawk  of  the  Indian,  and  the  whole  western  fron- 
tier became  ■  scene  of  sanguinary  warfare.  The 
American  colonies,  barely  able  to  sustain  their  Beets 
and  armies  on  the  sea  board,  had  neither  troops  nor 
supplies  to  send  to  the  frontier.  The  pioneers  defend- 
ed themselves  against  the  combined  forces  of  the 
British  and  Indians,  appointed  their  own  officers, 
eted  forts,  and  bore,  unaided,  the  whole  weight  of 

the  revolutionary   contest 

V-  they  were   not  assisted,  bo  they  were  not  con- 
trolled by  the  government,  and  became  ■   law  unto 
thems  !\   b;  carrying  on  a  desultory  warfare,  without 
plan,  and  without    restraint.      A   lawless   disposition 
,.  up,  which  led  to  the  perpetration  of  many  acte\ 

that  would  not  have  Keen   approved    under  any  system 
of  -"i;d  subordination,  or  military  law. 

The  warfare  between  them  and  the  Indians  soon  as- 
Bumed  a  vindictive  and  merciless  character  j  a  hatred, 
deep,  stern,  and  mutual,  governed  the  contest,  and 
the  parties  fought  not    to  eon. pier,  but  to  exterminate. 

The  warriors  of  either  side,  in  passing  the  neutral 
villages  of  the   Moravians,  situated  midway  beta 

them,  often  found  it  convenient  to   Stop,  and    it  was  no 

.   matter  t<>r  thai  pacific  community  to  preserve 
its  neutrality.     To  avoid  the  suspicions  of  partiality 

IV 


210  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

was  impossible.  Even  their  aversion  to  the  shedding 
of  blood,  led  them  into  acts  which  however  humane, 
were  incautious.  On  some  occasions,  they  sent  secret 
messages  to  the  whites,  to  apprise  them  of  plans,  laid 
by  the  savages,  to  surprise  a  fort,  or  massacre  a  settle- 
ment ;  and  they  received  the  famished  prisoners  who 
escaped  from  the  Indians,  secreted  and  fed  them,  and 
enabled  them  to  elude  the  pursuit  of  their  enemies. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  red  warriors  found  a  resting 
place  in  either  of  the  Moravian  villages,  whenever 
they  claimed  its  hospitality,  and  perhaps  experienced 
all  the  offices  of  charity  and  friendship  which  were 
extended  to  our  people. 

It  followed  as  a  matter  of  course,  that  whenever  a 
secret  plan  of  one  party  was  discovered  and  frustrated 
by  the  other,  the  Moravians  were  supposed  to  be  the 
treacherous  betrayers ;  and  the  failure  of  an  expedi- 
tion brought  upon  them  the  heavy  imprecations  of  the 
side  which  had  met  with  discomfiture.  All  the  kind- 
ness which  had  been  received  from  them  was  blotted 
out  by  their  alleged  treason,  or  the  partiality  that 
jealous  warriors  suspected  them  to  entertain  towards 
their  foes. 

The  Moravian  villages  were  called  "  The  half  way 
houses  of  the  warriors ;"  and  this  phrase  began  to  be 
used  in  fierce  derision,  by  the  stern  and  lawless  men, 
who  despised  the  peaceable  tillers  of  the  soil,  who 
took  neither  side,  but  opened  their  doors  alike  to  all 
comers.  In  1781,  the  war  chief  of  the  Delawares 
apprised  the  missionaries  of  their  danger,  and  urged 
them  to  remove,  but  they  declined.  In  the  fall  of  the 
same  year,  a  party  of  three  hundred  Indians  destroy- 


U  in  ii  ||  Of   j  in  w  i  - 1  .  211 

cd  the  villages,  desolated  the  fields,  and  turned  the 
unhappy  converti  to  Christianity,  into  the  wikforni 
upon  the  plains  of  Sandusky,  where  many  of  them 
perished  of  (amine  during  the  ensuing  winter.  The 
missionariea  were  carried  to  Detroit,  and  alter  1»<  m» 
■trictly  examined,  wen-  permitted  by  the  British  go- 
vernint'iii  to  return  totheii  peoplet 

In  the  ensuing  month  of  February,  onehundredand 
fifh  of  th"  Moravian  Indians  returned  t<>  their  ruined 
villages,  to  seek  among  the  desolated   hearth* 

some  remnants  of  their  once  plentiful  §1  >res  of  food, 
for  their  perishing  families.  Here  they  encountered 
■  hody  of  militia  from  the  settlements,  by  whom 
ninety  of  these  unonending  creatures  were  wantonly 
slam.  A  wretched  remnant  returned  to  their  starving 
companions  at  Sandusky,  afibrding  a  melancholy  evi- 
dence of  the  little  estimation  in  which  the  virtues  of 
peace  are  held,  during  the  stern  excitement  of  a  hor- 

der  war. 

The  celebrated  campaign  under  Colonel  Crawford, 
was  undertaken  in   1782,  for  the  double  purpose  of 

Completing  the  destruction  of  the  ."Moravian  Indians. 
in  their  new  town  at  Sandusky,  and  of  destroying  the 
Wyandot  towns  CO  that  river.  The  force  employed 
HMMifltnd  of  180  men,  all  of  whom  were  volunteers, 
who  were  chiefly  raised  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  Ohio. 

We  -hall  not  repeal  the  details  of  this  campaign, 
which  seem  to  have  been  badly  planned,  and  not  well 

conducted.      An   act  of  insubordination  on   the  part  of 
the  men,  upon  first  meeting  with  a  few  of  the  enemy, 


212  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

induced  Colonel  Crawford  to  indulge  in  melancholy 
forebodings,  which  were  but  too  fatally  realised. 

On  the  plains  of  Sandusky  they  were  met  by  an 
Indian  army,  and  a  severe  engagement  ensued,  which 
lasted  from  noon  until  sunset. 

On  the  next  day,  the  number  of  Indians  increased, 
and  the  encampment  was  surrounded  by  a  numerous 
host  of  savages.  A  retreat  was  resolved  upon  ;  but 
even  this  measure  was  almost  impracticable,  for  the 
way  was  blocked  up  by  enemies,  who  disputed  every 
step,  and  threw  every  obstacle  in  the  path  of  our  dis- 
comfited countrymen.  The  army  became  panic-struck, 
and  all  its  measures  seem  to  have  been  the  result  of 
mere  impulse.  A  difference  of  opinion  arose,  as  to 
the  best  mode  of  retreating  :  the  greater  number  con- 
sidering it  advisable  to  retire  in  a  compact  body,  while 
a  considerable  number  thought  it  safer  to  break  up 
into  small  parties,  which  should  strike  homeward  in 
different  directions.  Unfortunately  both  plans  were 
attempted,  but  neither  of  them  prosecuted  with  energy  ; 
and  while  the  majority  determined  to  preserve  the 
force  entire,  small  parties  were  continually  detachino- 
themselves,  which  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy, 
who  quick-sighted  in  discovering  the  insubordinate 
and  distracted  state  of  our  army,  adapted  their  war- 
fare to  the  occasion,  and  hovered  about  to  cut  off  those 
who  left  the  main  body. 

Colonel  Crawford  himself,  missing  his  son,  son-in- 
law,  and  two  nephews,  who  were  supposed  to  have 
fallen  in  the  rear,  lingered  behind  the  troops  to  seek 
them,  and  was  taken  prisoner.  He  was  conducted, 
with  several  other  captives,  to  an  Indian  town,  where 


9KBTCHK8    01      I  n  I    ■  I  I  I  811 

bewm  beaten,  tortured, and  finally  burnt  at  the  stake, 
with  ever)  indignity  and  ev<  ration  of  suffer- 

ing that  savage  malignity  could  invent.  The  infamet 
Sim. m  Girty,  an  agent   of  the    British    government, 

witnessed    these    at roe  it i«-<  ;    ami    1 1« •  t    only    refused    to 

intercede  for  the  brave  but  unfortunate  Crawford,  but 
laughed  heartily  at  the  ag  t"  the  perishing 

captive. 

Thii  irai  the  last  campaign,  in  this  quarter,  during 
the  revolutionary  war;  it  u;i>  irretchedly  planned  and 
worse  conducted;  and  on  no  occasion  *  1  i « 1  the  Bavs 
obtain  mora  ample  revenge,  or  gratify  their  hatred  to 
Mm  whites  with  more  brutaj^ferocity.  But  Crawford 
mjg  the  last  white  man  known  to  have  Buffered  at  the 
stak 

We  have  passed  over  several  minor  expeditions,  and 

a  variety  of  individual  adventures,  which  occurred,  at^ 

the  period  under  review,  in  this  interesting  region. 
But  we  cannot  omit  an  incident  which  Strongly  marks 
the  character  of  the  times,  and  shows  at  how  early 
an  age  the  young  pioneers  imbibed  those  traits  of  cun- 
ning,  of  patient  endurance,  and  of  self-possession,  which 
distinguished  our  hardy  borderers. 

In  the  year  17!>3.  two  brothers,  John  and  Henry 
Johnson — the  one  thirteen,  and  the  other  eleven  years 
of  age — whose  parents  lived  in  Carpenter's  station, 
near  Short  Creek,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Ohio,  were 
roaming  through  the  woods  in  search  of  their  father's 
cattle.  They  were  met  and  captured  by  two  Indians, 
both  of  whom,  as  it  turned  oat  ■Aerwards,  were  dis- 
tinguished warriors* 

The   Indians   had  bridles   in  their  hands,  and  were 


214  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

seeking  the  horses  of  the  settlers,  for  the  purpose  of 
stealing ;  and  they  continued  their  ramble,  taking  the 
boys  with  them.  John,  the  oldest,  had  the  tact  to  ac- 
commodate himself  at  once  to  his  situation ;  and,  af- 
fecting great  joy  at  being  captured,  informed  the 
savages  that  his  father  had  treated  him  cruelly,  and 
that  he  had  long  meditated  an  escape  to  the  Indian 
country.  He  said  that  he  wished  to  live  in  the  woods 
and  be  a  hunter,  and  seemed  to  enter  with  spirit  into 
the  search  of  the  Indians  after  the  horses  of  the  white 
men.  This  conduct  conciliated  the  favour  of  the  sa- 
vages, who  treated  them  kindly.  They  were  careful, 
however,  not  to  trust  thejr  little  prisoners  too  far,  but 
pinioned  their  arms ;  and  at  night,  when  they  laid 
down,  placed  the  boys  between  them,  secured  by  a 
large  strap  which  was  passed  under  their  own  bodies. 
"  Pretty  late  in  the  night,"  says  the  narrator  of  this 
incident,*  "  the  Indians  fell  asleep  ;  and  one  of  them, 
becoming  cold,  caught  hold  of  John  in  his  arms,  and 
turned  him  over  on  the  outside.  In  this  situation  the 
boy,  who  had  kept  awake,  found  means  to  get  his 
hands  loose ;  he  then  whispered  to  his  brother,  made 
him  get  up,  and  untied  his  arms.  This  done,  Henry 
thought  of  nothing  but  running  off,  as  fast  as  possible  ; 
but,  when  about  to  start,  John  caught  hold  of  him, 
saying,  "  we  must  kill  these  Indians  before  we  go." 
After  some  hesitation,  Henry  agreed  to  make  the  at- 
tempt. John  took  one  of  the  rifles  of  the  Indians, 
and  placed  it  on  a  log  with  the  muzzle  close  to  the 
head  of  one  of  them.  He  then  cocked  the  gun,  and 
placed  his  little  brother  at  the  breech  with  his  finger 
*  Dr.  Doddridge. 


ski  r<  in-  of  the  w  i  - r.  216 

on  the  trigger,  with  instructiooa  t<»  pull  it,  as  1000  a- 
he  should  strike  the  other  [ndian. 

••  11, •  thru  look  one  of  the  [adieus'  tomahawks,  and 
standing  a-straddle  of  the  other  Indian,  Btruck  him 
with  it.     The  blow,  however,  fell  on  the  back  of  the 

neck  and  t n-  side,  BO  Bfl  QOt  to  be  fatal.      The  Indian 

then  attempted  to  spring  op,  but  the  little  fellow  re- 
peated  lu>  blows  with  such  force  and  rapidity  on  the 
skull,  that,  a<  he  expressed  it,  'the  Indian  laid  still 
and  began  to  quiver.1 

•  Vt  tli<'  moment  of  the  first  stroke  given  by  the 
elder  brother,  the  younger  one  pulled  the  trigger,  and 
shot  away  s  considerable  portion  of  the  Indians  lower 
jaw.  This  Indian,  a  moment  after  receiving  the  shot, 
n  to  Bounce  about  and  yell  in  the  most  fright- 
fal  manner*  The  hoy-  then  made  the  be-t  pf  their 
wav  to  the  fort,  and  reached  it  a  little  before  day- 
break. On  getting  near  the  fort,  thej  found  the  peo- 
ple all  up,  and  in  great  agitation  on  their  account. 
On  hearing  a  woman  exclaim  "poor  little  fellow.-. 
they  arc  lulled,  or  taken  prisoners,"  the  eldest  one 
answered,  u  no  mother  I  we  are  here  yet." 

Havin^  brought  away  QOthing  from  the  Indian 
camp,  their  relation  was  not  credited;  but  a  party 
having  been  conducted  by  the  soys -to  the -pot,  one 
Indian  was  found  killed,  and  the  other  desperately 
wounded. 

At  the  treaty  held  subsequently  by  Genera]  Wayne, 
a  friend  of  the  Indian-  who  bad  been  killed,  enquired 
what  had  become  of  these  boys,  and  (»n  being  answer  • 
ed,  that  tluv  lived  in  the  same  place,  with  their 
parents,  the  [ndian  exclaimed,  M  V«>n  have  not  done 
right,  you  should  make  kings  of  those  b«.\-." 


216 


SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Manners  of   the  early  settlers  in  western  Virginia — Mode   of 
emigration — Habits  of  living — Hunting — Weddings — Religion. 

These  historical  facts  should  be  kept  in  mind  by 
those  who  are  curious  in  their  researches,  in  reference 
to  the  springs  of  national  character.  The  strong  pe- 
culiarities, and  prominent  points  of  western  character, 
are  most  properly  sought  among  those  who  came  first, 
who  have  lived  longest  under  the  influences  of  a  new 
country,  and  who  have  been  least  affected  by  the  sub- 
sequent influx  of  emigrants  from  the  sea  board ;  they 
are  found  best  developed  in  western  Pennsylvania, 
western  Virginia,  Kentucky,  and  Tennessee — and  in 
the  more  western  settlements  which  have  been  formed 
chiefly  from  these  states :  they  are  least  observable 
where  the  population  is  most  mixed,  and  are  scarcely 
perceptible  in  our  large  commercial  towns  and  cities. 

We  shall  add  here  a  few  illustrations  of  the  cha- 
racter and  habits  of  the  early  settlers,  selected  from 
the  work  of  Dr.  Doddridge,  to  which  we  have  already 
more  than  once  referred. 

The  book  before  us,  is  the  production  of  a  reverend 
gentleman,  who  was  reared  in  the  wilderness,  and 
was  intimately  acquainted  with  the  whole  subject  on 
which  he  writes.  His  father  came  to  western  Vir- 
ginia in  1773,  during  the  deceptive  calm  which  pre- 
ceded the   rupture  of  1774,  usually  called   Dunmore's 


SKI  i ■<  B  i  -    0»    in  I    w  i  -  i  .  l.'17 

war.  Brought  up  in  the  wilderness,  the  inmate  of  a 
cabin,  Dr.  Doddridge  spent  bis  whole  life  in  tlw  midst 
<>f  those  dangers  and  vicissitudes  which  make  up  the 
life  of  the  borderer,  and  has  detailed  a  variety  of  mi- 
nute circumstances,  which  render  bis  book  exceedingly 
valuable. 

The  auth<»r  adterts,  in  an  introductory  chapter,  to 
the  feelings  with  which,  at  the  age  of  fifty,  be  books 
back  upon  a  Ij  ised  wholly  amid  the  scenes  of 

the  wild  ibracing  changes  so  rapid  and 

onderral,  as  almost  to  exceed  belief.  Hisearliest 
reooUections  are  of  the  log  cabin,  the  fort,  the  bound- 

wUdernesS,  and  perils  of  the  chase.  His  infant 
slumbers  were  disturbed  By  the  yell  of  the  Indian, 
and  the  scene  of  Ids  Bports  was  a  forest  in  which 
danger  lay  ambushed  under  so  many  shapes,  that  even 
the  child  grew  cunning  in  eluding,  and  self-possessed 
in  meeting  it.  The  exploits  of  the  chase  and  of  the 
border  warfare  formed  the  familiar  gossip  of  the  fire- 
side. Then  followed  the  raj. id  expansion  of  the  settle- 
ment-, and  the  introduction  of  civil  institutions — the 
ingress  of  inhabitants,  the  establishment  of  counties, 
the  building  up  of  Tillages,  the  erection  of  court- 
houses and  places  of  worship,  until  at  last,  extensive 
farms  valuable  manufactories,  commercial  marts,  and 
richly  freighted  vessi  Is,  occupied  the  places,  which  in 
the  memory  of  the  writer,  bad  been  solitary  places 
and  -  f  earn; 

9  me  ot*  these  reminiscences  are  amusing  enough, 

tnerd   matter  of  serious  reflection,  when  we  re- 

collect   that  the   privations  described  were   those  of 

VOL.    I 19 


218  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

thousands  of  the  gallant  men  to  whom  we  are  indebt- 
ed for  the  conquest  of  the  country. 

He  says,  "  some  of  the  early  settlers  took  the 
precaution  to  come  over  the  mountains  in  the  spring, 
leaving  their  families  behind  to  raise  a  crop  of  corn, 
and  then  return  and  bring  them  out  in  the  fall.  This 
I  should  think  was  the  better  way.  Others,  especially 
those  whose  families  were  small,  brought  them  with 
them  in  the  spring.  My  father  took  the  latter  course. 
His  family  was  but  small,  and  he  brought  them  all 
with  him.  The  Indian  meal  which  he  brought  over 
the  mountains,  was  expended  six  weeks  too  soon,  so 
that  for  that  length  of  time  we  had  to  live  without 
bread.  The  lean  venison,  and  the  breast  of  wild  tur- 
keys, we  were  taught  to  call  bread.  The  flesh  of  the 
bear  was  denominated  meat.  This  artifice  did  not 
succeed  very  well ;  after  living  in  this  way  for  some 
time,  we  became  sickly ;  the  stomach  seemed  to  be 
always  empty,  and  tormented  with  a  sense  of  hunger. 
I  remember  how  narrowly  the  children  watched  the 
growth  of  the  potato  tops,  pumpkin  and  squash  vines, 
hoping  from  day  to  day  to  get  something  to  answer  in 
the  place  of  bread.  How  delicious  was  the  taste  of 
the  young  potatoes  when  we  got  them  !  What  a 
jubilee  when  we  were  permitted  to  pull  the  young 
corn  for  roasting  ears  !  Still  more  so,  when  it  had 
acquired  sufficient  hardness  to  be  made  into  johnny 
cakes,  by  the  aid  of  a  tin  grater.  We  then  became 
healthy,  vigorous,  and  contented  with  our  situation, 
poor  as  it  was." — p.  100. 

"  The  furniture  of  the  table,  for  several  years  after 
the   settlement  of    this  country,  consisted  of  a   few 


SKETCHES  OF  THE   Wr.ST.  '^19 

pen  ter  dishes,  plates,  and  t| 1-,  but  mostly  of  wooden 

bowls,  trenchers,  and  noggins.  IT  these  last  were 
scarce,  gourds  and  hard  shelled  squashes  made  up  t h«- 
deficiency*  The  iron  pots,  knives  and  fork-,  were 
brought  from  the  east  side  of  the  mountains,  along 
with  salt  and  ir<»n.  on  pack-horses*" — p.  109. 

"I  well  recoiled  the  first  time  I  ever  -aw  a  tea- 
cup  and  saucer,  and  tasted  coflbo.  My  mother  died 
when  1  was  about  >i\  or  seven  yean  of  age*  My 
father  then  sent  me  to  Maryland,  with  a  brother  of 
my  grandfather,  Mr*  Alexander  Wells,  to  n<->  to 
school*'1 

"At  Col* Brown's  in  the  mountain-,  at  Stony  creek 
glades,  I  lor  the  first  time  saw  tame  geese,  and  by 
bantering  a  pet  gander,  I  got  a  severe  biting  by  His 
bill,  and  beating  by  his  wings.  I  wondered  very  much 
that  birds  so  Large  and  strong,  Bhould  be  so  much 
tamer  than  the  wild  turkeys :  at  this  place,  however, 
all  was  right,  excepting   the  large  birds  which  they 

called  creese.  The  cabin  and  furniture  was  such  SS  I 
bad  bein  accustomed'  to  see  in  the  backwoods,  as  my 
country  was  then  called. 

•  \t  Bedford,  every  thing  was  changed*  The 
tavern  at  which  my  uncle  put  up,  was  a  stone  house, 
and  to  make  the  changes  -till  more  complete,  it  was 
plastered  in  the  inside,  both  as  to  the  walls  and  ceil- 
ing. On  going  into  the  dining  room,  I  was  struck 
with  astonishment  at  the  appearance  of  the  house.  I 
hail  no  idea  that  there  was  any  house  in  the  world 
that  was  not  built  of  logs  ;  but  here  I  looked  round 
and  could  see  no  logs,  and  above  I  could  see  no  joists; 
whether  such  a  thing  bad  been  made  by  the  hands  of 


220  SKETCHES   OF  THE  WEST. 

man,  or  had  grown  so  of  itself,  I  could  not  conjecture. 
I  had  not  the  courage  to  enquire  any  thing  about  it. 
When  supper  came  on,  my  confusion  was  "  worse  con- 
founded." A  little  cup  stood  in  a  bigger  one,  with 
some  brownish  looking  stuff  in  it,  which  was  neither 
milk,  homminy,  nor  broth  ;  what  to  do  with  these  little 
cups,  and  the  little  spoons  belonging  to  them,  I  could 
not  tell  ;  but  I  was  afraid  to  ask  any  thing  concerning 
the  use  of  them. 

"  It  was  in  the  time  of  the  war,  and  the  company 
were  giving  accounts  of  catching,  whipping,  and  hang- 
ing tories.  The  word  jaii  frequently  occurred;  this  word 
I  had  never  heard  before  ;  but  I  soon  discovered,  and 
was  much  terrified  at,  its  meaning,  and  supposed  that 
we  were  in  danger  of  the  fate  of  the  tories  ;  for  I 
thought  as  we  had  come  from  the  backwoods,  it  was 
altogether  likely  that  we  must  be  tories  too.  For  fear 
of  being  discovered,  I  durst  not  utter  a  single  word. 
I  therefore  watched  attentively  to  see  what  the  big 
folks  would  do  with  their  little  cups  and  spoons.  I 
imitated  them,  and  found  the  taste  of  the  coffee  nause- 
ous beyond  any  thing  I  ever  had  tasted  in  my  life.  I 
continued  to  drink  as  the  rest  of  the  company  did, 
with  tears  streaming  from  my  eyes  ;  but  when  it  was 
to  end,  I  was  at  a  loss  to  know,  as  the  little  cups  were 
filled  immediately  after  being  emptied.  This  cir- 
cumstance distressed  me  very  much,  as  I  durst  not  say 
I  had  enough.  Looking  attentively  at  the  grown 
persons,  I  saw  one  man  turn  his  cup  bottom  upwards, 
and  put  his  little  spoon  across  it.  I  observed  that 
after  this  his  cup  was  not  filled  again ;  I  followed  his 


BKSTOB  M    01    i  in:    VH  i-  22  1 

example,  and  to  mv  great  satisfaction,  the  result  m  n 

my  cup  was  thf  same.'1 

There  i>  something  in  this  anecdote  very  charac- 
teristic of  ilif  backwoods  boy.  All  %\  1 » « >  bate  studied 
thf  habits  of  the  people  of  the  frontier,  <»r  indeed  of 
anv  rude  people,  who  are  continually  exposed  t«»  dan- 
ger, bave  observed  the  wariness  of  the  children,  their 
independence,  and  their  patience  under  Buffering. 
Like  the  young  partridge,  thai  from  the  moment  of  its 
birth  practisea  the  arts  oscesearj  to  ita  own  safety, 
the  child  of  the  woods  is  self-dependent  from  early  in- 
fancy. Such  was  the  case  in  the  scene  so  artlessly 
described  by  our  author,  where  a  child  of  six  or  seven 
years  old,  drank  a  nauseous  beverage,  for  fear  of 
giving  ofience,  and  instead  of  appealing  to  his  relative 
tor  protection,  observed  and  watched  for  himself,  until 
he  found  out  the  means  of  relief  by  his  own  sagacity. 
An  Indian  l»>y  would  have  done  the  same. 

The  following  anecdote  will  be  new  to  some  of  our 
readers  :  k'  A  neighbour  of  mv  father,  some  years 
after  the  settlement  of  the  country,  had  collected  a 
small  drove  of  cattle  for  the  Baltimore  market. 
Amongst  the  hands  employed  to  drive  them,  was  one 
who  had  never  seen  any  condition  of  society  but  that 
of  the  woodsmen.  \t  one  of  their  lodging  places  in 
the  mountain,  the  landlord  and  his  hired  man,  in  the 
course  of  the  night,  stole  two  of  the  bells  belonging 
to  the  drove,  and  hid  them  in  a  piece  of  wood-. 

"  The  drove  had  not  gone  far  in  the  morning  before 
the  bens  were  missed,  and  ■  detachment  went  back  to 
recover  them.  The  men  were  found  reaping  the  field 
of  the  landlord.     They  were  accused  of  the  theft,  but 

19* 


222  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

they  denied  the  charge.  The  torture  of  sweating, 
according  to  the  custom  of  that  time,  that  is,  of  sus- 
pension by  the  arms,  pinioned  behind  the  backs, 
brought  a  confession.  The  belis  were  procured  and 
hung  round  the  necks  of  the  thieves.  In  this  condi- 
tion  they  were  driven  on  foot  before  the  detachment 
until  they  overtook  the  drove,  which  by  this  time  had 
gone  nine  miles.  A  halt  was  called,  and  a  jury 
selected  to  try  the  culprits.  They  were  condemned 
to  receive  a  certain  number  of  lashes  on  the  bare 
back,  from  the  hand  of  each  drover.  The  man  above 
alluded  to  was  the  owner  of  one  of  the  bells ;  when  it 
came  to  his  turn  to  use  the  hickory,  "  now,"  says  he 
to  the  thief,  "  you  infernal  scoundrel,  I'll  work  your 
jacket  nineteen  to  the  dozen — only  think  what  a  ras- 
cally figure  I  should  make  in  the  streets  of  Baltimore, 
without  a  bell  on  my  horse  !" 

The  man  was  in  earnest ;  in  a  country  where  horses 
and  cattle  are  pastured  in  the  range,  bells  are  neces- 
sary to  enable  the  owners  to  find  them  ;  to  the  traveller 
who  encamps  in  the  wilderness,  they  are  indispen- 
sable, and  the  individual  described  had  probably  never 
been  placed  in  a  situation  in  which  they  were  not  re- 
quisite. 

Hunting  was  an  important  part  of  the  employment 
of  the  early  settlers.  For  some  years  after  their  emi- 
gration, the  forest  supplied  them  with  a  greater  part 
of  their  subsistence  ;  some  families  were  without 
bread  for  months  at  a  time,  and  it  often  happened  that 
the  first  meal  of  the  day  could  not  be  prepared  until 
the  hunter  returned  with  the  spoils  of  the  chase. 
Fur  and  peltry  were  the   circulating  medium   of  the 


8kk  i<  m  "i   rn  ■  \  - 1 . 

country  ;    Um  bunler  had  nothi 

change  f<>r  i  .  and  iron.     Hunting,  th 

,  was  the  employment,  rather  than  I  fthe 

pioneers — yet    it    was   pursued  with  the  alacrity 
sense  of  enjoyment   which  attends  an  exciting  ami 

irite  amusement.     Dangerous  and  fatiguio 
it-  \  i « - i  —  i 1 1 1  . 

cha  i  life  ti,  -  for 

the  rifle. 

["he  cla<^  of  hunters  with  whom  I  wa<  best  ac- 
quainted,'1 says  our  author,  "were  th —  whose  bant- 
ing rang  on  the  western  >i<le  of  the  riv<  r.  and 
at  the  distance  of  eight  or  nine  miles  from  it.  A> 
soon  as  the  leaves  were  pretty  well  down,  and  the 
became  rainy , accompanied  with  liLiht  snows, 
.  after  acting   the   part   of  husbandmen 

IS    the    Bt  .  f    warfare    ;  1    them    to    do, 

•1  that  ;  un- 

.  at  home.      Ev<  n   thins  about  them  became  dis- 
agreeable.     The  house  was  too  warm,  I  her  bed 

too  soft,  and  even  the  good  wife  was  not  thought,  for 
the  tin*  companion.     The  mind 

of  the  hunter  was  wholly  occupied  with  the  camp  and 
cha 

•■I  hat  :n  get  up  early  in  the  in 

at  th  i,  walk  hastily  out  and  look  anxiously  to  the 

.  and  snuff  the  autumnal  winds  with  the  highest 
rapture,  then  return  into  the  house  and  cast  a  quick 
and  attentive  look  at  the  ride,  which  was  always 
ponded  ti»  a  i<>i-t  bj  ile  of  buck  borns,oi  wood- 

en forks.      The  hunting  dog,  understanding  the  in- 
tentions of  his  master,  would  wag   bis  tail,  and  bv 


224  SKETCHES    OF    THE    WEST. 

every  blandishment  in  his  power,  express  his  readi- 
ness to  accompany  him  to  the  woods." — p.  124. 

A  hunt  usually  occupied  several  days,  and  often  ex- 
tended to  weeks ;  the  hunter  living  in  a  camp,  hidden 
in  some  secluded  place,  to  which  he  retired  every 
night,  and  where  he  kept  his  store  of  ammunition,  and 
other  plunder.  There  were  individuals  who  remained 
for  months  together  in  the  woods,  and  spent  the  greater 
part  of  their  lives  in  these  camps,  which  are  thus 
described : 

"  A  hunting  camp,  or  what  was  called  a  half-faced 
cabin,  was  of  the  following  form  :  the  back  part  of  it 
was  sometimes  a  large  log  ;  at  the  distance  of  eight 
or  ten  feet  from  this,  two  stakes  were  set  in  the 
ground  a  few  inches  apart,  and  at  the  distance  of 
eight  or  ten  feet  from  these,  two  more,  to  receive  the 
ends  of  poles  for  the  sides  of  the  camp.  The  whole 
slope  of  the  roof  was  from  the  front  to  the  back. 
The  covering  was  made  of  slabs,  skins,  or  blankets, 
or  if  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  the  bark  of  the  hickory 
or  ash  tree.  The  front  was  left  entirely  open.  The 
fire  was  built  directly  before  this  opening.  The 
cracks  between  the  poles  were  filled  with  moss.  Dry 
leaves  served  for  a  bed.  It  is  thus  that  a  couple  of 
men,  in  a  few  hours,  will  construct  for  themselves  a 
temporary,  but  tolerably  comfortable  defence  against 
the  inclemencies  of  the  weather. 

"  The  site  for  the  camp  was  selected  with  all  the 
sagacity  of  the  woodsmen,  so  as  to  have  it  sheltered 
by  the  surrounding  hills  from  every  wind,  but  more 
especially  from  those  of  the  north  and  south."  The 
author  might  have  added,  that  these  shelters  were  so 


■urrcHBB  oi    1 1 1 1  w  i  - 1 . 

artfullv  oeaceeled,  as  t'>  be  seldom  dineorered  <  10  pt 
by  accident     He  continues  i 

••  \u  uncle  of  mane,  of  the  name  of  Samuel  Tel 
occapied  the  same  camp  foi  in  sua 

Hon.     It  w.i-  <•!"  ill*1  southern  In 

of  Cfoas  creak.  Uthough  1  lived  many  years  not 
than  fifteen  miles  Gram  the  place*  if  was  n<>t  till 
within  n  rerj  few  yean  sgo,  thai  I  discow. 
situation.  It  was  shown  me  l>>  a  gentleman  bring  in 
the  neighbourhood.  Viewing  the  hills  round  abani  it. 
!       .11  discovered   the  sagacity   of  the  buntef  in  the 

site  of  In-  Camp.       N«»t  ■  wind   COIlId  touch  him:   and 

umkai  by  the   report   of   bis  gun  oi  the  sound  of  hie 
;iv  .  it  would  bare  been   mere  accidenf  it*  an  Indian 
Bred  bis  conceaJmeat. 

M  H  u  1 1 1  i  1 1  -  wai  oof  ;t  mere  ramble  in  pureaif  of  game, 
in  which  there  wae  nethiiu:  uH  and  calculation; 

on  the  contrary,  the  hunter,  before  be  eel  euf  in  the 
morning,  was  informed  by  the  state  of  the  weather  in 
what  situation  be  aught  reasonably  expect  to  meat 
with  hie  name:  whether  on  the  bottoms,  oi  on  the 
aides  or   tops  of  the   hills.     In  storm}  weather,  the 

:    ;il\\a\  -  Uered    places,    and    the 

rard  Sides  of  bills.      En    rainy  weather,  when  there 

is  oof  much  wind,  the\    keep  in  the  ..pen  wood-,  on  the 

highest  ground. 

14 In  everj  situation  it  was  requisite  for  the  hunter 
to  ascertain  the  course  of  the  wind,  so  as  to  gat  to 
leea  aid  of  the  game. 

•  v-  it  was  requisite  toe  tor  the  hunter  to  know  the 

iinal  point-,  1p     had    oiil\    to    observe    the    tie. a  to 

rtain  them.     Tic  barb  of  an  aged  tree  is  thicker 


226  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

and  much  rougher  on  the  north  than  on  the  south  side. 
The  same  thing  may  be  said  of  the  moss. 

"  The  whole  business  of  the  hunter  consists  in  a 
series  of  stratagems.  From  morning  till  night  he 
was  on  the  alert  to  gain  the  wind  of  his  game,  and 
approach  them  without  being  discovered.  If  he  suc- 
ceeded in  killing  a  deer,  he  skinned  it,  and  hung  it  up 
out  of  the  reach  of  the  wolves,  and  immediately  re- 
sumed the  chase  till  the  close  of  the  evening,  when  he 
bent  his  course  towards  his  camp ;  when  he  arrived 
there  he  kindled  up  his  fire,  and  together  with  his 
fellow-hunter,  cooked  his  supper.  The  supper  finish- 
ed, the  adventures  of  the  day  furnished  the  tales  for 
the  evening.  The  spike  buck,  the  two  and  three 
pronged  buck,  the  doe,  and  barren  doe,  figure  through 
their  anecdotes.  After  hunting  awhile  on  the  same 
ground,  the  hunters  became  acquainted  with  nearly 
all  the  gangs  of  deer  within  their  range,  so  as  to 
know  each  flock  when  they  saw  them.  Often  some 
old  buck,  by  means  of  his  superior  sagacity  and 
watchfulness,  saved  his  little  gang  from  the  hunter's 
skill,  by  giving  timely  notice  of  his  approach.  The 
cunning  of  the  hunter,  and  of  the  old  buck,  were 
staked  against  each  other,  and  it  frequently  happened 
that  at  the  conclusion  of  the  hunting  season,  the  old 
fellow  was  left  the  free  uninjured  tenant  of  his  forest ; 
but  if  his  rival  succeeded  in  bringing  him  down,  the 
victory  was  followed  by  no  small  amount  of  boasting. 

"  Many  of  the  hunters  rested  from  their  labours  on 
the  sabbath  day ;  some  from  a  motive  of  piety  ;  others 
said  that  whenever  they  hunted  on  Sunday  they  were 
sure  to  have  bad  luck  for  the  remainder  of  the  week." 


>ki  i ■<  ii  M  Of   in  I  w  i M  l  •  221 

Amwig  other  graphic  sketches,  the  reverend  his> 
torian  gives  1 1 1  *  *  following  account  of  ■  wedding  in  the 
olden  times* 

••  In  the  morning  of  the  wedding  day,  the  groom 
ami  lu^  attendants  aaaembled  nt  the  house  of  his 
lather,  for  the  purpose  of  reaching  the  mansion  of  Ins 
bride  l»\  noon,  j  Inch  was  the  usual  time  for  celebrating 

the  nuptials  j  whn  h  for  certain  mu>t  take  place  before 
dinner. 

M  Lei  the  reader  imagine  an  assemblage  of  people, 
without  a  store,  tailor,  or  mantuamaker,  within  a  hun- 
dred miles,  and  an  assemblage  of  horses,  without  a 
blacksmith,  or  saddler  within  an  equal  distance.  The 
gentlemen  dressed  in  shoepacks,  mocassins,  leather 
breeches,  leggins,  and  Linsey  bunting-shirts,  all  home- 
made ;  the  ladies  in  linsej  petticoats,  and  linse]  sf 
linen  Bhort-gowns,  coarse  shoes  and  stockings,  bander- 
Chiefs,  and    buckskin    gloves,    if  any.      If  there    were 

an\  buckles,  rines,  buttons,  or  ruffles,  thej  were 
relics  of  old  times — family  pieces  from  parents  or 
grandparents.  The  horses  were  caparisoned  with  old 
saddles,  old  bridles  or  baiters,  and  pack-addles,  with  a 
hair  or  blanket  thrown  over  them;  a  rope  or  string  as 
often  constituted  the  girth  ;is  a  piece  of  leather. 

"The  inarch  in  double  file  was  often  interrupted  by 
the  narrowness  and  obstructions  of  our  horse-paths,  as 
they  were  called.  f..r  we  had  no  roads;  and  these  diffi- 
culties were  often  increased,  sometimes  by  the  good, 
sometimes  by  the  ill-will  of  neighbours,  1»\  falling 
-  and  tying  grape-vines  aero--  the  way.  Some- 
times an  ambus  is  formed  by  the  v.a\  side,  and 
an  unexpected  discharge  of  several  guns  took  place,  so 


228  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

as  to  cover  the  wedding  company  with  smoke.  Let 
the  reader  imagine  the  scene  which  followed  ;  the  sud- 
den spring  of  the  horses,  the  shrieks  of  the  girls,  and 
the  chivalric  bustle  of  their  partners  to  save  them 
from  falling.  Sometimes,  in  spite  of  all  that  could  be 
done  to  prevent  it,  some  were  thrown  to  the  ground. 
If  a  wrist,  an  elbow,  or  an  ancle,  happened  to  be 
sprained,  it  was  tied  with  a  handkerchief,  and  little 
more  said  or  thought  about  it." 

The  author  describes  minutely  the  dinner,  which 
was  "  a  substantial  backwoods  feast  of  beef,  pork, 
fowls,  venison,  and  bear  meat,  roasted  and  boiled,  with 
plenty  of  potatoes,  cabbage,  and  other  vegetables," — 
and  the  dancing,  which  consisted  of  "  three  and  four- 
handed  reels,  square  sets,  and  jigs,"  and  which  "  gene- 
rally lasted  'till  the  next  morning." 

We  leave  out  many  amusing  and  curious  descrip- 
tions, relating  to  the  customs  of  this  primitive  people, 
to  make  room  for  the  following  remarks,  which, 
coming  from  the  pen  of  an  aged  and  respectable  Chris- 
tian minister,  are  worthy  of  an  attentive  perusal.  In 
a  chapter  on  "  civilisation,"  the  author  remarks  the 
happy  change  in  the  moral  and  physical  condition  of 
the  people  among  whom  he  has  spent  his  life,  points 
out  many  of  the  causes,  and  then  proceeds  as  follows : 
"  The  ministry  of  the  gospel  has  contributed,  no 
doubt  immensely,  to  the  happy  change  which  has  been 
effected  in  the  state  of  our  western  society.  At  an 
early  period  of  our  settlements,  three  presbyterian 
clergymen  commenced  their  clerical  labours  :  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Smith,  the  Rev.  John  M'Miilan,  and  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Bowers ;  the  two  latter  of  whom  are  still  livino-. 


SKET<   111  -   -   1     HIE  WKST. 


Thej  were  pious,  patient,  laborious  men,  who  coll< 
their  people  into  regular  congregations,  and  did  all  for 
thrui  thai  their  circumstances  would  allow.     It 
no  disparagement  to  them,  that  their  first  chun 

the  shad]  .  and  their  first  pulpits  a  kind 

of  tenl  constructed  of  a  few  rough  Blabs,  and  covered 
with  clapboards*  Be  who  dwelleth  not,  exclusively, 
in  temples  made  with  hand-,  was  propitious  to  their 
itions. 
"  Prom  the  outset,  they  prudently  resolved  to  en 
a  ministry  in  tin  country,  and  accordingly  established 
little  grammar  schools  at  their  own  houses,  or  in  their 
immediate  neighbourhoods.  The  course  of  education 
whit  h  they  gave  their  pupils  was.  indeed,  net  extru- 
sive :     hut    the    piety    of    those    that    entered    into    the 

ministry,  more  than  made  up  the  deficiency.     They 
formed  societies,  most  of  which  are  now  large  and  re- 
spectable; and,   in   point   of  education,   their  mini-try 
much  improved." 

This  i-  taken  from  a  book  published  in  1824,  and  of 
course  was  not  written  with  any  view  to  the  questions 
which  have  subsequently  been  vexed — but  what  a  se- 
rebuke  does  it  convey,  to  those  who  are  continu- 
ally railing  against  the  ignorance  and  irreligion  of  the 
.  and  are  inviting  colonies  from  land-  supposed  to 
ho  more  highly  enlightened  in  reference  to  religion. 
The  venerable  pioneers  of  religion  did  not  discover 
any  sterility  in  the  intellect  of  the  west,  which  ren- 
dered instruction  less  efficacious  here  than  elsewhere, 
and  "they  prudentl)  resolved  to  create  a  ministry  in 
the  country."  In-trad  of  inviting  men  from  ahroad, 
they    established    "  grammar   schools    at    their   own 

vol.  i — 20 


230  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

houses,"  and  prepared  the  sons  of  their  neighbours 
for  the  pulpit  and  the  bar.  This  is  the  true  theory, 
and  the  only  one  under  which  any  country  can  nourish. 

"  About  the  year  1792,  an  academy  was  established 
at  Cannonsburgh,  in  Washington  county,  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  Pennsylvania,  which  was  afterwards  incor- 
porated under  the  name  of  Jefferson  college. 

"  The  means  possessed  by  the  society  for  the  under- 
taking, were  indeed  but  small ;  but  they  not  only 
erected  a  tolerable  edifice  for  the  academy,  but  created 
a  fund  for  the  education  of  such  pious  young  men  as 
were  desirous  of  entering  into  the  ministry,  but  unable 
to  defray  the  expenses  of  their  education. 

"  This  institution  has  been  remarkably  successful  in 
its  operations.  It  has  produced  a  largo  number  of 
good  scholars  in  all  the  literary  professions,  and  added 
immensely  to  the  science  of  the  country. 

"  Next  to  this,  Washington  college,  situated  in  the 
county  town  of  the  county  of  that  name,  has  been  the 
means  of  diffusing  much  of  the  light  of  science  through 
the  western  country. 

"  Too  much  praise  cannot  be  bestowed  on  those  good 
men,  who  opened  these  fruitful  sources  of  instruction 
for  our  infant  country,  at  so  early  a  period  of  its  set- 
tlement. They  have  immensely  improved  the  depart- 
ments of  theology,  law,  medicine,  and  legislation,  in 
the  western  regions. 

"  At  a  later  period,  the  methodist  society  began  their 
labours  in  the  western  parts  of  Virginia  and  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  their  progress  at  first  was  slow,  but  their  zeal 
and  perseverance  at  length  overcame  every  obstacle, 
so  that  they  are  now  one  of  the  most  numerous  and 


NOBTCHXfl    01     i  B  I    P  I  I  i  i  231 

respectable  societies  in  this  country.  The  itinerant 
plan  of  their  mini-try  is  will  calculated  t»>  convey  the 
gospel  throughout  a  think  scattered  population.  Ac- 
cordingry,  their  ministr}  has  kept  pace  with  the  exten- 
sion of  our  settlements.  The  little  cabin  was  scarcer) 
built,  and  the  little  field  fenced  in,  before  these  evan- 
gelical teachers  made  their  appearance  among  the 
inhabitants,  collected  them  in;  ties,  and  taught 

them  the  worship  of  ( rod. 

M  Had  it  not  been  tor  the  labours  of  these  indefati- 
gable men,  our  country,  as  to  s  great  extent  of  its 
settlements,  would  have  been,  at  this  day,  a  si  mi-bar- 
barous region*  How  many  thousands,  and  tent 
thousands,  of  the  most  ignorant  and  licentious  of  our 
population,  have  they  instructed  and  reclaimed  from 
the  error  of  their  ways  I  They  have  restored  to 
society  even  the  most  worthless,  and  made  them  valu- 
able and  respectable  as  citizens,  and  useful  in  all  the 
relations  of  life.  Their  numerous  and  zealous  minist  r> 
bids  fair  to  carry  on  the  good  work  to  any  extent 
which  our  settlements  and  population  may  require. 

"With  the  catholics  I  have  but  little  acquaintance, 
but  have  every  reason  to  believe,  that,  in  proportion 
to  the  extent  of  their  Hocks,  they  have  done  well.  In 
this  country,  they  have  received  the  episcopal  visita- 
tions of  their  bishops.  In  Kentucky,  they  ha\ 
cathedral,  a  college,  and  a  lu>hop. 

"Their  clergy,  with  apostolic  zeal,  but  in  an  unos- 
tentatious manner,  have  sought  out  and  ministered  to 
their  scattered  flocks  throughout  the  countr]  :  and,  BJ 
far  as  I  know,  with  good  success. 

••  The  societies  of  friends  in  the  western  country  are 


232 


SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 


numerous,  and  their  establishments  in  good  order. 
Although  not  much  in  favour  of  a  classical  education, 
they  are  nevertheless  in  the  habit  of  giving  their  peo- 
ple a  substantial  English  education.  Their  habits  of 
industry,  and  attention  to  the  useful  arts  and  improve- 
ments, are  highly  honourable  to  themselves,  and  worthy 
of  imitation. 

"  The  baptists,  in  the  state  of  Kentucky,  took  the 
lead  in  the  ministry,  and  with  great  success.  Their 
establishments  are,  as  I  am  informed,  at  present, 
numerous  and  respectable. 

"  The  German  Lutheran  and  reformed  churches  in 
our  country,  as  far  as  I  know,  are  doing  well.  The 
number  of  Lutheran  congregations  is  said  to  be  at  least 
one  hundred ;  that  of  the  reformed,  it  is  presumed,  is 
about  the  same  amount." 

He  remarks,  that  the  Germans  have  the  best 
churches,  organs,  and  grave-yards ;  and  adds — "It 
is  a  fortunate  circumstance  that  those  of  our  citizens, 
who  labour  under  the  disadvantage  of  speaking  a  fo- 
reign language,  are  blessed  with  a  ministry  so  evan- 
gelical as  that  of  these  very  numerous  and  respectable 
societies." 

It  is  refreshing  to  read  this  simple,  and  clear,  yet 
impartial  exposition  of  the  labours  of  Christians  of 
different  sects,  and  to  know  that  they  have  respectively 
done  their  duty — refreshing  to  learn  that  a  numerous 
and  zealous  ministry  were  industriously  employed  in 
laying  the  foundations  of  education  and  religion,  while 
many  of  those  were  yet  unborn,  who  now  are  most 
fluent  in  describing  the  ignorance,  destitution,  and 
moral  depravity,  of  our  country. 


PART   III. 

BVENTt    in   Till.    i:\IM. \    IN>TORY  OF  KENTUCKY. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Early  discoveries  in  Kentucky — Its  occupation  by  Indians — An- 
ecdote of  two  of  the  pioneers — John  Finley's  visit — Those  of 
M'Bridc,  Dr.  Walker,  Boone,  and  others. 

It  is  a  curious  tact,  that  the  first  explorers  of  this 
region  found  n<>  Indians  settled  upon  the  shores  of  the 
Ohio.  Throughout  the  whole  Length  of  this  beautiful 
river,  not  a  single  vestige  of  an  Indian  town  is  to  be 
found.  The  aboriginal  tribes,  who  are  always  at  war, 
seem  to  have  had  regard  chiefly  to  that  Btate,  in  choos- 
ing the  sites  of  their  villages.  For  savages,  situated 
;i-  they  were,  the  most  commanding  positions  were 
those  lying  near  the  sources  of  large  rivers,  from 
which  they  could  descend  in  their  canoes  to  attack  an 
enemv  below  them,  while  their  own  villages  would  be 
approached  with  difficulty  by  canoe>  attempting  to  as- 
cend against  the  stream.  Where  the  head  waters  of 
two  rivers  approached  and  flowed  away  in  different 
directions,  affording  increased  facilities  for  sending  oil' 
hunting  expeditions  and  war  parties,  a  spot  in  contact 

•jir 


234  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

with  both  streams  possessed  unusual  advantages,  and 
such  places  were  generally  occupied.  But  it  will  be 
seen,  that,  for  the  same  reasons,  the  shores  of  a  large 
river  like  the  Ohio,  into  which  numerous  tributaries 
of  great  size  and  length  poured  their  waters,  would  be 
exposed,  above  all  others,  to  the  attacks  of  savage 
warfare,  as  they  would  be  easily  accessible  from  a 
variety  of  directions. 

It  is  not  known  that  any  tribe  was  ever  settled  per- 
manently in  Kentucky ;  no  ownership  was  exercised 
over  that  region,  when  first  visited  by  the  whites ;  and 
no  exclusive  title  was  vested  in  any  nation  of  Indians, 
though  several  claims  were  set  up,  the  most  important 
of  which  were  those  of  the  Cherokees  and  of  the  Six 
Nations.  It  was  a  common  hunting-ground  for  many 
tribes,  who  visited  it  from  a  great  distance — roaming 
over  its  rich  pastures  during  the  season  for  taking 
game,  and  making  it  their  temporary  residence  during 
a  part  of  every  year,  for  that  purpose.  It  was  also 
the  great  battle-ground  of  the  Indians,  who  met  here 
in  desperate  conflict — either  accidentally,  when  en- 
gaged in  hunting,  or  by  concert,  in  the  mutual  pursu- 
ance of  a  policy  which  induced  them  to  carry  their 
wars  as  far  as  .possible  from  home.  The  name  applied 
to  it  by  the  savages — the  dark  and  bloody  ground — is 
terribly  significant  of  the  sanguinary  character  of 
those  conflicts,  which  rendered  this  region  celebrated 
in  the  traditionary  legends  of  that  ferocious  race. 
Whether  any  superstition  invested  the  scenes  of  so 
many  battles  with  a  peculiar  awe,  and  rendered  the 
savage  reluctant  to  reside  here,  where  he  might  sup- 
pose the  spirits  of  the  fallen  to  be  wandering,  we  have 


i 


n  1 1 1  in-  01  i  in  w  writ 

not  tlio  means  of  knowing;  we  are  only  informed  of 
the  fact,  that  a  tract  of  country  the  moat  luxuriant,  the 

saost  abundant  in  game,  and  the  moat  prolific  in  all  the 
fruits,  an<l  the  spontaneous  productions  <>f  nature,  which 
yield  food,  or  other  neceeaaries  of  Life,  to  the  wander- 
inir  tribes,  was  an  uninhabited  wilderness* 

Although  the  pioneers  found  the  country  unoccupied 
by  a  resident  population,  and  might  properly  have  taken 
possession,  without  violating  anj  law  of  nations,  <>r 
moral  principle;  yet  it  was  precisely  in  that  condition 
which  rendered  anj  attempt  to  settle  the  land  particu- 
larly dangerous.  These  boundless  forests  swarmed 
with  parties  of  hostile  savages,  who  resided  too  tar 
from  the  settlements  of  the  whites  to  fear  their  power, 
or  to  feel  any  wish  to  conciliate  their  friendship. 
Their  own  villages  and  families  were,  as  they  sup- 
posed, too  distant  to  be  exposed  to  the  danger  of 
retaliation.  They  were  abroad,  unincumbered  with 
property  or  dependents,  and  prepared  for  war  :  no 
delay  was  suggested  by  prudence,  nor  auv  time  re- 
quired for  c  tnsultation.  A  hated  race  had  intruded 
into  the  hunting-grounds,  for  the  possession  of  which 
they  had  long  disputed  among  themselves,  and  with 
one  accord  the  arms  oi  all  w<  re  turned  against  the 
invaders. 

The  pioneers  were  few, — they  acted  on  their  own 
responsibility,  with  the  countenance  merely,  but  not 
the  aid,  of  the  government.  In  the  whole  history  of 
the  settlement  of  Kentucky,  comprising  a  period  of 
twenty  years,  neither  men  nor  munitions  were  sent  to 

these  infant  settlements.      It  was  not  until  the  Indians 

had  been  repeatedly  beaten,  and  the  power  of  our coun- 


236  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

trymen  was  completely  established  in  Kentucky,  that 
the  government  began  to  send  troops  to  the  west ; 
and  the  names  of  Wilkinson,  Harmar,  St.  Clair,  and 
Wayne,  are  found  in  the  annals  of  border  warfare. 
And  these  officers  acted  chiefly  on  the  western  shores 
of  the  Ohio.  Yet  the  pioneers  were  almost  always 
successful  in  their  battles,  and  the  progress  of  the  set- 
tlements was  never  stopped.  They  continued  to  in- 
crease steadily  in  numbers,  and  to  spread  gradually 
over  the  land.  Although  the  warfare  of  the  Indians 
was  of  the  most  unsparing  character — accompanied 
with  all  the  atrocities  of  the  tomahawk,  the  firebrand, 
and  the  stake,  the  courage  of  the  pioneers  was  never 
damped,  and  their  conduct  was  equal  to  every  emer- 
gency. Without  detracting  in  the  least  from  their 
merits,  it  may  be  inferred,  from  some  of  the  facts 
above  stated,  that  the  war  against  them  was  never 
conducted  with  much  skill  or  concert.  Both  parties 
were  far  from  any  place  which  could  afford  supply  or 
relief,  and  neither  possessed  the  requisite  facilities  for 
any  long-sustained  effort.  The  one  party  usually  sur- 
prised the  other,  and  the  conflict  was  brief,  sanguinary, 
and,  for  the  time,  decisive. 

We  have  alluded,  in  our  introductory  chapter,  to 
the  character  of  the  pioneers,  and  the  mode  of  the 
earliest  emigration  to  Kentucky.  We  shall  now  ex- 
tend these  remarks  as  far  only  as  is  necessary  to  an 
understanding  of  the  peculiar  habitudes  of  that  re- 
markably original  race,  and  to  the  elucidation  of  their 
early  history. 

About  the  year  1749,  a  citizen  of  Frederick  county, 
in  Virginia,  who  was  subject  to  occasional  fits  of  insa- 


BKST4  ii  U  01   i  ii  I  S  n  I  • 

nitv.  roamed  off  into  the  woods,  :i-  fM  usually  bil 
practice!  Bnder  Buch  circumstances.  Having  rambled 
farther  towards  ill-'  west  than  was  then  customary 
with  the  hunters,  he  came  t<»  the  waters  of  Greenbriar 
:  and,  on  hia  return,  reported  thai  he  had  found 
a  stream  whose  waters  ran  to  the  west,  and  wh 
shores  abounded  in  game.  Thia  intelligence  excited 
the  curiosity  of  the  public;  |""  we  do  not  hear  of  any 

ii-  attempt  to  prneirate  into  the  wilderm-<.     The 

first  desultory  efibrt  was  that  of  Jacob  Martin  and  Ste- 
phen Sewell,  wh«>  wandered  out  to  Greenbriar,  and 
established  themselves  in  a  cabin  apon  its  banks.  It 
seems,  however,  that  it"  there  be  but  two  men  in  a 
country,  they  will  find  a  subject  for  contention;  at  all 
events,  it  happened  bo  with  Martin  and  Sewell,  who 
quarreled — and  the  latter,  for  the  sake  of  peace,  quit- 
ted their  cabin,  ami  took  ap  his  abode  in  a  hollow  tree. 
In  this  situation  the;  wi  re  found  by  General  Andrew 
Lewis, who,  in  the  year  1757,  proceeded  to  the  Green- 
briar  country,  bo  superintend  the  survey  of  a  grant  of 
one  hundred  thousand  acres  of  land,  made  to  a  com- 
pany of  individuals  by  the  governor  and  council  of 
Virginia.  On  enquiring  of  these  eccentric  beings, 
what  could  induce  them  to  live  separately  in  a  wilder- 
-  so  distant  from  all  other  human  beings,  they 
replied,  that  a  difference  of  opinion  had  induced  them 
to  part,  ami  that,  since  the  division  of  interests,  their 

intercourse  had  been  more  amicable.  Sewell  added, 
that  each  morning,  when  the}  arose,  Martin  came 
forth  from  hia  house,  ami  himself  from  the  hollow  tree, 
and  they  saluted  each  otherwith  "Good  morning, Mr. 
Martin"— ** Good  morning,  Mr.  Sewell;"   ■  practice 


238  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

which  he  considered  as  conclusive  evidence  of  the 
good  understanding  and  mutual  courtesy  of  the  par- 
ties. Mr.  Sewell,  however,  was  not  satisfied  even  in 
this  agreeable  neighbourhood,  but  removed  about  forty 
miles  further  west,  where  he  was  found  by  the  Indians 
and  killed. 

Previous  to  the  year  1755,  General  Lewis  had  com- 
pleted the  survey  of  about  fifty  thousand  acres ;  but, 
the  war  then  commencing -"between  England  and 
France,  the  work  was  abandoned.  In  1761,  the  Bri- 
tish government  issued  a  proclamation  commanding 
all  the  colonists  within  the  bounds  of  Virginia,  who 
had  made  settlements  on  the  western  waters,  to  remove 
from  them,  as  those  lands  were  claimed  by  the  Indians, 
and  good  policy  required  that  the  government  should 
prevent  any  interference  with  their  rights.  As  this  is 
one  of  a  very  few  instances  in  which  Great  Britain 
even  pretended  to  respect  the  rights  of  the  aborigines, 
we  must,  in  searching  for  the  true  cause  of  this  order, 
endeavour  to  find  some  other  than  the  one  assigned. 
The  prevention  of  bloodshed  had  not,  heretofore,  formed 
any  part  of  the  policy  of  the  mother  country,  whose 
plan  had  rather  been  to  render  the  colonists  more  de- 
pendent upon  herself,  by  keeping  them  embroiled  with 
the  Indians,  and  by  confining  their  settlements  to  the 
seaboard,  where  her  own  power  could  be  most  readily 
concentrated,  and  most  vigorously  exerted. 

But  although  this  measure  of  the  government  check- 
ed the  spirit  of  enterprise  which  had  just  then  been 
awakened,  and  caused  the  abandonment  of  schemes  for 
the  colonisation  of  the  western  lands,  which  had  been 
formed  by  gentlemen  of  wealth  and  education,  it  did 


>Ki:n  in H  "i    nil.  u  M 1  . 

not  entirely  crush  the  oewlj  kindled  desire  for  explor- 
ing tin-  delightful  region. 

There  is  a  tradition  that  a  person,  named  M'Bride, 
visited  Kentucky,  and  <"ut  his  name  on  a  tree  at  the 
mouth  of  Kentucky  river,  id  1754.  It'  there  Lb  any 
truth  in  the  rumour,  it  does  not  appear  that  he  made 
any  report  which  ua-  believed,  <>r  by  which  others 
were  induced  t<>  follow  his  adventurous  footsteps. 

In  \~,  17.  Dr.  Walker,  a  gentleman  of  Virginia,  ted 
a  small  party  to  explore  Powell's  valley,  east  of  'he 
Laurel  ridge,  which  ho  called  Cumberland  mountain, 
li-  ceivinc  intelligence,  from  some  source  \\  nich  is  now 
not  known,  that  the  Ohio  might  ho  reached,  at  no 
great  uatanoe,  1»\  traveling  in  ;i  northeastwardly  di- 
rection, ho  proceeded  on  that  course  until  ho  came  to 

Big  Sandy  river,  having  entirely  missed  the  Ohio  and 

the  fertile  region  of  Kentucky.  He  returned  home 
after  a  journey  of  prodigious  labour,  chiefly  among 
the  mountain-:  and  his  report  was  rather  calculated 
to  repress  than  to  excite  curiosity. 

In  L750,  he  crossed  the  Cumberland  mountain,  in 
company  with  Colby  (hew,  Ambrose  Powell,  and 
others,  hut  did  not  reach  the  Kentucky  ri\ 

He  made  -.  vera!  subsequent  i  xcursions  into  this 
region^  and  it   i-  probable  that  to  this  circumstance 

may  be  attributed  (he  mistakes  which  have  boon  made 
in  reference  to  the  date  of  hi-  first  \i-it.  We  adopt 
that  which  Mr.  Butler,  in  his  recent  History  of  Ken- 
tucky, has.  upon  good  evidence,  proved  to  he  the  cor- 
rect o! 

It  appears  by  a  manuscript  affidavit  of  Dr.  Walker. 

which  we  have  examined,  that  in  the  month  of  April 


240  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

1750,  he  visited  the  waters  of  the  Cumberland,  and 
gave  its  present  name  to  that  river.  Its  original  name 
was  Shawanoe,  and  it.  is  greatly  to  be  deplored  that  a 
designation  at  once  euphonous  and  appropriate,  should 
have  been  abandoned,  without  reason,  for  a  foreign 
appellation. 

In  Virginia,  Lewis  Evans  made,  and  published  a 
map  of  Kentucky,  in  1752,  from  a  description  given 
him  by  the  Indians. 

In  1766,  James  Smith  visited  Kentucky,  but  we 
know  little  of  bis  adventures. 

The  first  adventurer  who  is  known  to  have  pene- 
trated through  Kentucky  to  the  Ohio,  was  John  Fin- 
ley,  who,  with  a  few  companions,  traversed  this 
region  in  1767.  Of  him,  or  his  adventures,  little  is 
known.  His  account  of  the  country — its  extent,  its 
fertility,  the  abundance  of  game,  and  the  exuberance 
of  the  vegetation,  were  considered  fabulous ;  and  his 
name  would  probably  have  been  lost,  had  it  not  become 
connected  with  that  of  Daniel  Boone,  to  whom  he 
acted  as  guide  in  a  subsequent  expedition. 

Boone  was  a  man  of  strongly  marked  character. 
There  is  no  proof  that  he  possessed  great  talents,  or 
that  he  could  have  shone  in  any  other  station  than 
that  in  which  he  was  placed.  His  bodily  vigour,  his 
love  of  hunting,  his  courage,  and  his  perfect  equani- 
mity of  mind  under  every  vicissitude  of  fortune,  were 
the  prominent  points  in  his  character  ;  and  his  singu- 
lar adventures,  with  the  fact  of  his  being  the  first 
successful  explorer  of  this  region,  have  rendered  his 
name  celebrated.  He  was  not  a  misanthrope,  who 
retired  to  the  woods  because   he  was  disgusted  with 


SK  I    I<   BBS   OF  THE   H  IN!  .  2  11 

the  world,  I  >i  1 1  a  man  of  social  and  benevolent  feelings, 
of  mild  aii'l  unassuming  manners,  and  of  strict  m- 
rity.  He  was  bold  ;ui<!  daring,  deeply  imbued  with 
the  spirit  of  adventure,  ami  gifted  with  an  uncommon 
share  "t"  that  cool,  indomitable  courage,  which  cannot 
easily  1"'  daunted  or  surprised,  that  i<  seldom  excited 
into  rashness  or  chilled  into  despondency,  and  that 
enables  it-  possessor  to  act  with  calmness  in  ever} 
emergency . 

The  character  "t*  Boons  has  hern  entirely  misunder* 
stoodj  ami  tin-  inducements  which  tir-t  led  him  into 
the  wilderness  altogether  mistaken.  We  -hall  not 
st<»p  here  to  rebuke  the  mendacity  of  sordid  writers, 

who  have  been  tempted  by  pecuniary  < siderations, 

to  palm  upon  the  world,  under  guise  of  sober  biography, 
a  sern-  of  spurious  adventure-,  winch  have  composed 
the  story  of  Boone,  and  corrupted  the  history  of  the 
times.  Such  impudent  impostures  carry  within 
themseh  If  destroying  influence,  which  puts  an 

early  period  to  their  existence. 

The  only  authentic  account  of  the  first  visit  of 
Daniel  Boone  to  Kentucky,  is  found  in  a  pamphlet 
written  by  John  Filson,  from  the  dictation  of  Boone 
himself,  in  the  year  1789.  In  this  he  mentions,  that, 
M  on  the  fust  of  M.i\  17<i!»  he  left  hi-  peaceable  habita- 
tion on  the  Yadkin  river,  in  North  Carolina,"  and 
proceeded  to  explore  the  country  of  Kentucky,  in 
oompanj  with  John  Pinley,  John  Stewart,  and  three 

other-.      Squire   Boone,   tho    brother   of  Daniel,  after- 

wards  joined  them  in  the  wilderness.  We  find  no  re- 
cord of  any  particular  errand  which  induced  the 
perilous  wanderings  of  these   men,  other  than  that 

VOL.    I. 2] 


242  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

which  allured  so  many  others  to  this  blooming  desert; 
nor   is   there   the  slightest   reason  for  setting  Boone 
apart  from  his  companions,  as  one  differing  from  them 
in  views  or  character.     He  was  an  eccentric  man,  nor 
did  he  stand  in  a  class  by  himself.     His  character  and 
adventures  are  studied   and  admired,  not  because  he 
was  sui  generis,  but  because   he  was  a  complete  and 
admirable  specimen  of  the  class  to  which  he  belonged. 
A  naturalist,  in  selecting  a  specimen  for  preservation 
in  a  cabinet,  takes  that  which  is  most  perfect,  and 
least  adulterated  by  any  foreign  admixture.     There 
were   thousands  of  backwoodsmen,  who  belonged   to 
the  same  class  with  Boone,  and  resembled  him  in  their 
lives,  tastes,  and  adventures,  and  he  is  only  celebrated 
from  the  circumstance  of  his  being  the  best  specimen 
of  this  singular  race,  that   has   happened   to   attract 
public   attention.       The   simplicity  of   his    character 
made  him  more   purely  a  backwoodsman,  than  any 
other  man — just  as  simplicity  of  character   attracts 
observation  to  talents   or  excellence  of  any  kind,  by 
creating  a   singleness  of   purpose   and  effort,    which 
leaves  the  strong  points  of  the  natural    mind,   unin- 
cumbered by  the  artificial  refinements,  the  distracting 
passions,  and  the  diversified  pursuits,  which  surround 
and  conceal  the  native  genius  of  most  individuals. 

Boone  and  his  companions  were  inflamed  with 
curiosity,  by  the  accounts  which  they  had  heard  of  the 
surpassing  beauty  and  fertility  of  Kentucky  ;  and  this, 
which  was  certainly  a  sufficient  inducement  to  men  of 
erratic  habits,  and  courageous  temperament,  might 
have  been  the  only  motive  for  their  journey.  But 
there   is  some  reason  to  believe  that  even  in  his  first 


-Kin  in-  <>r  i  m:  p  kst.  248 

yisil  to  Kentucky,  Boone  cam"  as  the  agent  of  tome 
wealth)  individuals  in  North  Carolina,  who  were  de- 
sirous to    speculate    in   these    lands,  and  who    selected 

him  to  make   tin-   first    reconnoisance  of  the  country, 

not  only  because  be  was  an  intrepid  hnnter,  but  in  con- 
sideration of  bis  judgment  and  probity.  It  is  certain 
that  lit-  was  thus  employed  immediateh  after  his  re- 
turn, and  that  ho  continued  tor  inan\  years  to  be  en- 
d  in  the  transaction  of  boainess  for  others,  to  the 
entire  neglect  of  his  personal  aggrandisement. 

Be  tin-  a-  it  may,  the  adventures  of  these  bold  ex- 
plorers are  full  of  romantic  interest.  Thev  found  the 
land  filled  with  hostile  Indian-,  against  whose  arts 
they  were  obliged  to  keep  a  continual  watch.  By 
day  they  wandered  with  stealth}  steps,  adding  to  their 
boldness  of  purpose,  the  vigilance  that  ensures  suc- 
cess, and  at  night  they  crept  into  the  most  secret 
coverts  for  repose;  practising  the  arts  of  savage  life 
for  subsistence,  and  the  Btratagems  of  border  warfare 
for  protection.  Superior  to  the  red  men  in  the  de- 
vices of  their  own  sylvan  strategy,  they  eluded,  or 
beat  them,  and  continued  to  roam  through  these 
blooming  deserts,  if  not  with  impunity,  at  least  with 
a  degree  of  success  that  seems  marvellous. 

Boone  continued  to  explore  the  wilderness  for  two 
years,  with  no  little  variety  of  fortune,  but  with  that 
indomitable  perseverance  which  formed  a  leading 
trait  in  his  character.  Once,  himself  and  a  companion 
\\»re  captured,  and  escaped  ;  more  than  once  their 
camp  was  plundered;  they  were  robbed  of  their  arms 
and  ammunition,  and  left  to  glean  a  subsistence  as 
they  might,  without  the  weapons  which  in  the  back- 


244  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

woods  are  necessaries,  equally  requisite  in  defending 
life,  and  procuring  food.  One  of  the  party  was  killed, 
the  rest  returned  home,  except  Boone,  and  his  brother, 
the  latter  of  whom  having  arrived  since  the  disarming 
of  the  party,  was  able  to  supply  the  pioneer  with  a 
gun  and  ammunition.  They  wintered  together  in  a 
cabin  formed  of  poles  and  bark.  In  the  spring  of 
1770,  the  brother  returned  to  North  Carolina,  leaving 
Daniel  Boone  alone  in  the  woods,  the  only  white  man 
known  to  be  in  Kentucky. 

If  any  proof  was  wanting,  of  the  ardour  with  which 
Boone  pursued  his  designs,  or  the  courage  that  he 
imparted  to  others,  it  would  be  found  in  this  separa- 
tion of  the  brothers ;  the  one  singly  undertaking  a 
painful  and  dangerous  journey,  of  several  hundred 
miles,  without  a  path  or  a  guide,  the  other  remaining 
alone  in  the  midst  of  a  wilderness,  separated  from  the 
habitations  of  white  men  by  a  range  of  almost  inac- 
cessible mountains,  and  surrounded  by  thousands  of 
enemies,  who  eagerly  sought  his  life,  and  daily  traced 
his  footsteps  with  unwearied  hostility.  The  intrepid 
pioneer  continued  to  rove  through  the  forest,  subsist- 
ing upon  game,  and  eluding  the  Indians  by  cunning 
devices,  until  the  return  of  his  brother,  in  the  July  of 
the  same  year  ;  they  explored  the  country  together 
during  the  remainder  of  that  year,  again  wintered  in 
the  wilderness,  and  in  the  spring  of  1771  returned 
to  their  families. 

In  1769  Hancock  Taylor,  Richard  Taylor,  and 
others,  descended  the  Ohio  to  the  falls,  and  proceeded 
thence  to  New  Orleans,  and  back  to  Virginia  by  sea. 

About  the  same  time  a  party,  consisting  of  about 


-K  I  r<  ii  i>  01  Tin:  WW&T*  -  US 

forty  hunters,  Gram  New  Rirer,  Holston,  and  Clinch, 

united  in  an  expedition  to  tli»-  west,  and  nine  of  the 
party,  led  by  Col.  James  Knox,  reached  Kentucky. 
Th»-y  penetrated  t<»  the  waters  of  Green  River,  and 
the  lower  part  of  Cumberland. 

In  the  year  177:<,  Thomafl  BuHit,  Hancock  Taylor, 

and  the  ME 'Afees,  (     g    _red  with  ardour  and  success   in 

the  business  of  exploring  and   settling   Kentucky,  and 

une  cons])icuuus  individuals  in  the  new  curnmunitv. 


21* 


246  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Purchases  from  the  Indians — Treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix — Treaty 
of  Lochaber — Purchases  by  individuals — The  Transylvania 
Company. 

In  the  year  1774  commenced  a  series  of  events 
which  exerted  a  decided  influence  on  the  early  growth 
of  the  settlements  in  Kentucky,  but  which,  in  most 
of  the  published  narratives  of  the  histories  of  those 
times,  are  not  mentioned,  and  in  others,  barely  alluded 
to.  As  these  facts  will  be  new  to  the  public,  and  as 
the  writer  has  had  the  opportunity  of  investigating 
them  carefully,  from  the  original  papers  of  the  gentle- 
men concerned,  placed  in  his  hands  through  a  source 
of  unquestionable  respectability,  this  fragment  of  the 
history  of  the  pioneers  will  be  developed  with  some 
degree  of  minuteness. 

A  few  preliminary  observations,  however,  may  be 
necessary  to  elucidate  this  subject  with  greater  clear- 
ness. The  several  explorations  of  the  country  border- 
ing on  the  Ohio,  to  which  we  have  alluded, — although 
they  did  not  elicit  any  great  amount  of  accurate  infor- 
mation, either  in  respect  to  its  extent  or  advantages, — 
threw  into  circulation  a  mass  of  reports  which  strongly 
excited  the  public  mind,  and  induced  the  functionaries 
of  Great  Britain  and  of  the  colonies,  as  well  as  a  num- 
ber of  intelligent  individuals,  to  turn  their  attention  to 
this  region.     In  1768,  at  a  treaty  held  with  the  Six 


IKBTCHSf  OF   i  ii  i    WJ  '-'  11 

Nati<»n-  by  Sir  William  Johnson,  the  claim  «>i*  |] 
nations  t«»  all  the  lands  on  the  southeast  side  of  the 
Olno  river,  as  far  down  aa  the  Cherokee  river,  and  <»n 
1 1 1 # •  northwest  side  to  the  Great  Miami,  \\a-  purchased 
by  Great  Britain.  The  title  of  the  Six  Nations,  to 
any  part  of  this  country,  seems  to  have  been  extreme- 
ly problematical.  We  are  not  aware  of  any  that  a 
savage  people  could  have,  but  that  of  actual  occupancy  ; 
and  there  is  no  proof  of  their  having  ever  resided  in 

any    part    of  it,   or    that    their    Conquests    Were   at    any 

time  extended  into  the  Mississippi  valley.  It  is  pro- 
bable  that  Great  Britain  <li<l  not  investigate  that  mat- 
ter  with  critical  nicety,  but  rather  pursued  the  policy, 
since  adopted  by  the  United  State-,  of  purchasing  the 
conflicting  Indian  titles,  and  of  making  her  own  claim 
secure,  by  merging  in  it  all  others.  Nor  was  this 
purchase  made  for  the  purpose  of  facilitating  the  set- 
tlement of  th«'  west,  which  the  parent  countrj  always 
discouraged;  but  to  secure  the  possession  to  herself 
of  the  interior  frontier,  and  prevent  the  founding  of 
colonies,  in  juXta-positioo  with  her  OWD,  by  any  other 
nation. 

It  was  in  accordance  with  these  views  that  Great 
Britain  authorised  the  treaty  of  17<»^,  during  the  i  \- 
ice  of  an  order  in  council  which  prohibited  the 
settlement  of  the  western  lands:  and  that,  in  1770, 
Lord  Botetourte,  at  the  urgent  instance  of  the  general 
mblv  of  \  irginia,  made  arrangements  for  the  ex- 
tinguishment  of  the  title  of  the  Cherokees  to  the  sum 
territory.  <>n  the  fifth  of  October  of  that  year,  a 
tnaty  was  accordingly  held  with  those  Indians,  at 
Lochaber,  in  South  Carolina,  by  John  Stewart,  super- 


248  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

intendent  of  Indian  affairs,  acting  under  the  auspices 
of  the  colony  of  Virginia,  when  a  boundary  line  was 
established  between  the  contracting  parties,  "  begin- 
ning at  Holstein  river,  six  miles  above  Big  Island, 
thence  running  in  a  direct  line  till  it  should  strike  the 
mouth  of  the  Great  Kenhawa."  John  Donaldson,  the 
surveyor  who  traced  this  line  by  an  appointment  from 
the  president  and  council  of  Virginia,  states,  in  a 
manuscript  affidavit  which  we  have  seen,  "  that,  in  the 
progress  of  the  work,  they  came  to  the  head  of  Louisa, 
now  Kentucky  river,  when  the  Little  Carpenter  (a 
Cherokee  chief)  observed,  that  his  nation  delighted  in 
having  their  lands  marked  out  by  natural  boundaries ; 
and  proposed  that,  instead  of  the  line  agreed  upon  at 
Lochaber  as  aforesaid,  it  should  break  off  at  the  head 
of  Louisa  river,  and  run  thence  to  the  mouth  thereof, 
and  thence  up  the  Ohio  to  the  mouth  of  the  Great 
Kenhawa."  This  boundary  was  accordingly  agreed 
to  by  the  surveyor.  It  is  further  stated,  by  the  same 
authority,  "  that  leave  having  been  granted,  by  the 
king  of  Great  Britain,  to  treat  with  the  Cherokees  for 
a  more  extensive  boundary  than  that  which  had  been 
established  at  the  treaty  of  Hard  Labour,  provided 
the  Virginians  would  be  at  the  expense  of  purchasing 
the  same,  the  general  assembly  voted  the  sum  of 
£2500  sterling  for  that  purpose,  which  sum  was  ac- 
cordingly paid  to  the  Cherokees,"  in  consideration,  as 
we  presume,  of  the  additional  lands  gained  by  the  al- 
teration of  the  line  by  the  surveyor,  and  in  confirmation 
of  his  act. 

These  proceedings  are  only  important  now,  as  they 
show  that,  bv  the  treaties  of  Fort  Stanwix  and  Loch- 


- 1 1  1 1  1 1 1  -  •  i    1 1 1 1 :  m  i  - 1 .  249 

aber,  the  conflicting  Indian  titles  wren  extinguished, 
south  of  the  Ohio  river,  as  far  west  as  the  Kentucky 
river. 

Ahum  tliis  period,  a  number  <>t'  enterprising  gentle- 
men in  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  began  t«»  turn 
their  attention  to  the  region  weal  of  the  Kentucky 
river,  with  the  view  of  purchasing  estates  in  fee  simple, 
for  themselvi  -.  din  ctlj  from  the  Indiana. 

We  have  before  os  a  deposition,  in  manuscript, -of 
the  celebrated  Patrick  Henry,  in  which  In  that, 

earh  in  tin-  vear  177  1,  he  entered  into  an  arrange- 
mm  iit  with  the  Hon.  William  Byrd,  John  Page,  Esq., 
and  Col.  William  Christian,  all  of  Virginia,  t"< »r  the 
purpose  of  purchasing,  from  the  Chemkees,  >k  some  of 
their  land  (.n  the  waters  of  their  own  river  iii  Vir- 
ginia," and  that  they  Benl  a  Mr.  Kennedy  t<>  the 
Cher*  Ltion,  t<»  ascertain  the  practicability  of  the 

scheme*  The  report  of  the  agent  was,  that  they  9 
willing  to  ureal  on  the  subject.  M  Not  long  after  this," 
the  document  in  our  possession,  ••and  before  any 
treaty  was  resolved  on,  the  troubles  with  Great  Britain 
seemed  t<»  threaten  serious  consequences;  and  this  de- 
ponent became  ■  memtger  of  the  first  Virginia  conven- 

.  and  a  member  of  the  first  continental  congi 
upon  which  lie  determined  with  himself  to  disclaim  all 
concern  and  <  onnection  with  Indian  purchases,  i""t-  the 
following:  that   is  t<>  say,  he  was  informed, 
>h<»rtly  after  In-  arrival  in  congn  is,  <>f  many  purca 

of  Indian    land-,  shares    in    most    Of  all  of  ulneh  were 

offered  to  thi-  deponent,  and  constant!}  refused  by 
him,  because  of  the  snormitj  of  the  extent  t(.  which 
the  bounds  of  those  purchases  were  carried;  that  dis- 


250  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

putes  had  arisen  on  the  subject  of  these  purchases, 
and  that  this  deponent,  being  a  member  of  congress 
and  convention,  conceived  it  improper  for  him  to  be 
concerned  as  a  party  in  any  of  these  partnerships,  on 
which  it  was  probable  he  might  decide  as  a  judge. 
He  was  farther  fixed  in  his  determination  not  to  be 
concerned  in  any  Indian  purchases  whatever,  on  the 
prospect  of  the  present  war,  by  which  the  sovereignty 
and  right  of  disposal  of  the  soil  of  America  would 
probably  be  claimed  by  the  American  states."  This 
deposition  is  dated  June  4,  1777. 

Of  the  purchases  alluded  to  in  the  above  deposition, 
the  most  extensive,  and  the  most  important  in  its  bear- 
ing upon  the  history  of  the  pioneers,  is  that  of  the 
Transylvania  company,  composed  of  Richard  Hender- 
son, William  Johnston,  Nathaniel  Hart,  John  Luttrel, 
David  Hart,  John  Williams,  James  Hogg,  and  Leonard 
Henley  Bullock.  These  gentlemen,  who  were  resi- 
dents of  North  Carolina,  made  certain  preliminary 
arrangements,  in  the  fall  of  the  year  1774,  with  the 
"  Overhill  Cherokee  Indians,"  for  a  treaty  to  be  held 
the  following  year.  In  March,  1775,  Colonel  Hen- 
derson, acting  for  the  company,  met  the  chiefs  of  that 
nation,  attended  by  about  twelve  hundred  of  their  peo- 
ple, at  a  fort  on  the  Watauga,  the  southeastern  branch 
of  the  Holston  river.  A  solemn  council  was  held, 
and  after  several  days  spent  in  conference  and  full 
discussion  of  every  matter  relating  to  the  purchase, 
the  company  obtained  from  the  Indians,  in  exchange 
for  a  valuable  consideration  paid  them  in  merchandise, 
two  several  deeds,  signed  by  Okonistoto,  their  chief 
warrior,  and  by  Atakullakulla  and  Savonooko,  the  next 


UUTCHM  OF  TD  WMfi  25] 

in  rank,  in  behalf  of  the  nation,  and  with  tin 
of  the  warriors  present  The  two  grants  ccmpre- 
handed  separate  tract-,  bring  within  the  chartered 
limits  of  \  irginia  and  North  Carolina.  Hie  first  was 
bounded  as  follows  :  "  Beginning  on  the  <  Ihio  river,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Cantuckej  Chenoee,  or  what,  by  the 
English,  is  called  Louisa  river;  from  thence  running 
up  the  >;u«l  river,  and  the  iii< »— t  northward]}  fork  of 
tlir  same.  i(»  the  bead  spring  thereof;  thence  a  south- 
east course,  t<>  the  t<»|»  of  the  ridge  of  Powell's  moun- 
tain; thence  westwardly  along  the  ridge  of  the  said 
mountain,  unto  a  point  from  which  a  northwest  course 

will  hit  or  strike  the  head  spring  of  the  most  south- 
wardly branch  of  Cumberland  river;  thence  down  the 
said  river,  including  all  its  waters,  to  the  Ohio  river. 
and  up  the  said  river,  as  it  meanders,  to  the  begin- 
ning." 

The   other  deed   c prised   a   tract  "beginning  on 

the  Holston  river,  where  the  course  of  Powell"-  moun- 
tain Strikes  the  Basse  :  thence  up  the  said  river,  a-  it 
meanders,  t<>  where  the  \  irginia  line  crosses  the  same; 
thence  westward  along  the  line  run  by  Donaldson,  to 
a  point  BU  English  miles  eastward  of  the  long  island 
in  said  ffolstOO  n\er:  thence  a  direct  Course  towards 
the  month  of  the  Great  Canawav.  until  it   reaches  the 

top  ridge  of  Powell's  mountain  :  thence  west*  ard  alon<_r 
the  -aid  ridge  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

The  first  of  these  grants,  it  will  he  perceived.  i- 
much  the  largest,  and  comprises  the  whole  .,f  Ken- 
tucky BOUth  of  the  river  of  that  name,  and  hv  far  tiie 
greater  part  of  the  land-  now  contained  in  that  State. 
The    other    includes   a    vast    territory    within   the    then 


252  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

limits  of  North  Carolina,  lying  on  the  rivers  Holston, 
Clinch,  Powel,  and  Cumberland,  to  the  amount  of  many 
millions  of  acres. 

This  purchase  from  the  aborigines  having  been 
made  previous  to  the  declaration  of  independence,  and 
the  Transylvania  company  being  put  in  possession  of 
the  territory  by  the  Indians,  the  title  of  the  grantees 
was  supposed  to  be  complete,  and  they  proceeded  im- 
mediately to  make  extensive  arrangements  for  the  set- 
tlement of  their  lands.  Richard  Henderson,  Nathaniel 
Hart,  and  John  Luttrel,  were  appointed  to  proceed  to 
the  new  territory,  which  was  called  Transylvania,  for 
the  purpose  of  planting  a  colony ;  and  they  accord- 
ingly set  out,  at  the  head  of  a  small  party,  early  in  the 
year  1775.  Daniel  Boone  was  their  guide ;  and  it 
seems  to  be  extremely  probable,  though  we  have  no 
direct  evidence  of  the  fact,  that  his  previous  visits  to 
Kentucky  were  made  at  the  suggestion  of  these  gen- 
tlemen, and  that  their  confidence  in  his  report  induced 
them  to  make  the  purchase.  It  is  certain,  from  their 
letters  to  each  other — many  of  which  are  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  writer — that  they  had  obtained,  from 
some  source,  a  mass  of  accurate  information  with 
which  ihe  public  was  not  acquainted  ;  and,  as  they 
would  naturally  resort  to  some  confidential  and  secret 
means  through  which  to  obtain  such  intelligence,  we 
give  credit  to  a  rumour  which  has  reached  us,  that 
Boone  was  the  agent  employed  for  that  purpose. 
These  circumstances  afford  a  new  elucidation  of  the 
character  of  that  intrepid  pioneer ;  and,  although  they 
take  nothing  from  the  strong  points  of  his  character, 
entirely  dissipate  the  romantic  theories  of  some  of  his 


BKSTCHSfl    01     I  M  I    W*8T. 

biographers,  with  regard  to  the  motives  which  Brat 
ted  linn  to  become  a  wanderer  in  tin*  western  wil< 

<    ilonel    EJendersoD    and    In  iafc  -    reached 

Powell's  Valley,  one  of  the  most  western  settlerm  ats 
of  North  Carolina,  in  the  beginning  of  April  177").  at 
the  head  of  fort)  armed  men,  and  an  additional  num- 
ber,  probably,  of  non-combatants — for  the)  had  under 
their  charge  forty  pack-horses*  This  part)  was  pre- 
ceded b)  a  smaller  one,  under  the  direction  of  Daniel 
B  tie,  \\li<>  had  been  employed  to  mark  out  a  road. 
\\  e  have  before  us  s  letter  Qrom  Colonel  Henderson, 
to  bis  partners  in  North  Carolina,  dated  Powell's 
Valley,  April  3,  171">.  from  which  we  make  the  fol- 
lowing extracts,  for  the  purpose  of  illustrating  the 
difficult^  untered  in  this  expedition,  in  the  lan- 

guage of  one  a  bo  was  concerned. 

••  Few  enterprises  of  great  consequence  continue  at 
all  times  to  weai  a  favourable  aspect  j  ours  has  met 
with  tin  common  fate,  from  the  incautious  proceedi 

few  headstrong  and  unthinking  people.  On  the 
twent)  fifth  of  March  last,  the  Indians  fired  upon  a 
small  part)  of  nun.  in  camp,  near  the  Louisa,  killed 
two  and  put  four  others  to  the  rout  :    and   OD  the    *-'7th 

did  Likewise  on  Daniel  Boone's  camp,  and  killed  a 
white  man  and  a  negro  on  the  Bpot,  hut  the  Burvivors 
maintained  their  -round  and  saved  their  bagg 
But  for  a  more  particular  account  1  refer  you  to  .Mr. 
B  roe's  original  letter  on  that  occasion,  which  came 
to  hand  last  night.  ^  ou  scarcer)  need  information 
that  these  accidents  have  a  had  effect  with  respect  to 
H-.""  ••  \  ou  observe  from 


254  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

Mr.  Boone's  letter  the  absolute  necessity  of  our  not 
losing  one  moment,  therefore  don't  be  surprised  at 
not  receiving  a  particular  account  of  our  journey  with 
the  several  little  misfortunes  and  cross  accidents, 
which  have  caused  us  to  be  delayed  so  that  we  are 
still  one  hundred  and  thirty  or  one  hundred  and  forty 
miles  from  our  journey's  end.  We  are  all  in  high 
spirits,  and  on  thorns  to  fly  to  Boone's  assistance,  and 
join  him  in  defence  of  so  fine  and  valuable  a  country. 
My  only  motives  for  stopping  are,  first,  that  you 
should  receive  a  just  representation  of  the  affair,  and 
secondly,  to  request  your  immediate  assistance ;  for 
want  of  workmen  our  wagons  are  laid  aside  at  Cap- 
tain Martin's  in  this  valley,  the  chief  of  our  salt  and 
all  our  saltpetre  and  brimstone  are  left  behind." 

The  letter  from  Daniel  Boone,  alluded  to  above,  is 
also  in  our  possession,  and  we  copy  it  entire,  as  a 
valuable  relic  of  that  bold  and  successful  pioneer — 
premising i  that  as  Mr.  Boone  was  less  expert  in  the 
art  of  spelling  than  in  the  use  of  the  rifle,  we  correct 
the  orthography,  except  in  the  case  of  one  or  two 
words.  The  letter  is  addressed  to  "  Colonel  Richard 
Henderson — these  with  care,"  and  runs  as  follows : 

"  April  the  first  1775. 
"  Dear  Colonel, 
After  my  compliments  to  you,  I  shall  acquaint  you 
of  our  misfortune.  On  march  the  25  a  party  of  In- 
dians fired  on  my  company  about  a  half  an  hour  be- 
fore day,  and  killed  Mr.  Twitty  and  his  negro,  and 
wounded  Mr.  Walker  very  deeply,  but  I  hope  he  will 
recover.     On  March  the  28  as  we  were  hunting  for 


-m  ii  111  ■  01   ill  i:  u  i:st.  2W 

provisions  we  found  Samuel  Tate'fl  sou,  who  gave  us 
an  account  that  the  Indians  fired  <>n  their  camp  on  the 
27  day.  My  brother  and  I  went  down  and  found  two 
men  killed  and  sculped,  Thomas  McDowell  and  Jere- 
miah McPeters.  1  have  sen!  ■  man  down  to  all  the 
lower  companies  in  order  to  gather  them  all  to  the 
mouth  of  Otter  Creek.  M\  advise  to  you,  sir,  is  to 
come  or  send  as  soon  as  possible.  Four  company  is 
desired    greatly,  for  the    people    are    very  uneasy,  but 

are  willing  to  stay  and  venture  their  liven  with   you. 

and  now  is  the  time  to  flusterate  their'  intentions  and 
keep  the  country,  whilst  we  are  in  it.  If  we  give 
way  to  them  now,  it  will  ever  be  the  case.  This  day 
we  start  from  the  battle  ground,  for  the  mouth  of 
Otter  Creek,  where  we  shall  immediately  erect  a  fort, 
which  will  be  done  before  you  can  come  or  send — 
then  we  can  send  ten  men  to  meet  you,  if  you  send 
for  them. 

I  am  sir  your  most  obedient 
Daniel  Boone. 

N.  B. — We  stood  on  the  ground  and  guarded  our 
.rage  till   day,  and  lost  nothing.      We  have  about 
fifteen  miles  to  Cantuck  at  Otter  Creek." 

This  letter,  with  which  we  have  taken  no  liberty  ex- 
cept the  one  already  indicated,  is  highly  characteristic 
of  the  writer.  It  is  a  plain  and  sensible  communication, 
from  a  cool  headed  man,  who  uses  no  more  words 
than  are  necessary  to  exhr<  ss  his  ideas.  He  takes  no 
credit  to  himself  for  having  beaten  the  Indians,  nor 
makes  any  professions  for  the  future,  but  modestly  in- 
timates that  the  presence  of  the  l«  ader  of  the  enter- 

*  Meaning  the  Indians. 


256  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

prise  is  necessary,  to  ensure  its  success.  The  sugges- 
tion "  now  is  the  time  to  flusferate"  the  intentions  of 
the  savages,  "  and  keep  the  country  while  we  are  in  it," 
is  consistent  with  the  known  determination  of  his  cha- 
racter ;  while  the  prediction,  "  if  we  give  way  to  them 
now,  it  will  ever  be  the  case,"  comports  well  with  the 
prudence  and  common  sense  which  always  governed 
him,  when  acting  in  his  proper  sphere,  as  a  hunter,  or 
a  warrior.  We  are  even  pleased  with  the  commence- 
ment— "  after  my  compliments" — and  the  conclusion, 
— "  I  am  Sir,  your  most  obedient" — which  show  that 
the  sturdy  woodsman,  was  not  unacquainted  with 
courtesies  of  good  society.  We  shall  only  add,  that 
the  word  Cantuck,  refers  to  Kentucky  river,  and  that 
the  fort  which  he  proposed  to  erect,  was  that  which 
was  afterwards  called  Boonsboro. 

The  prospects  of  Colonel  Henderson's  party  became 
still  more  gloomy,  after  the  date  of  this  letter  to 
which  we  have  referred.  As  they  proceeded  they 
met  persons  returning  from  Kentucky,  discontented  or 
panic-struck,  who  gave  the  most  exaggerated  accounts 
of  the  dangers  from  which  they  had  escaped,  and  re- 
presented the  situation  of  Boone,  as  being  imminently 
precarious.  The  hired  men  became  discouraged,  and  it 
required  all  the  efforts  of  the  leaders,  to  urge  them 
forward.  Every  sound  they  heard,  every  groupe  of 
wayworn  woodsmen  which  they  met,  filled  them  with 
the  apprehension  that  Boone  had  been  obliged  to  aban- 
don his  post,  or  that  the  approaching  travellers  brought 
some  disastrous  tidings  of  the  pioneer.  "  It  was 
owino-  to  Boone's  confidence  in  us,"  savs  Colonel  Hen- 
derson  in  one  of  his  letters,  "  and   to   the  people's  in 


-k  I  n  ii  i>  <  r   mi  |  «  i>  r.  Wt 

him,  that  a  stand  was  ever  attempted!  t<>  awail  "ur 

OtHDing;"    and    it    was    natural    that    Lrr«at    uneasiness 

should  be  felt  for  him,  in  whom  such  eonfidenea  «m 
placed,  and  whoee  poet,  in  advance  el  tin  expedition, 
vu  m  important  It  became,  therefore, desirable  that 
he  should  be  apprised  of  the  approach  of  his  friends, 
in  order  t hat  he  might  1>«'  encouraged  t.»  hold  hi-  poet 
at  all  hazardfl  until  their  arrival*  Hut  bow  could  the 
information  be  transmitted — what    nx  i    would 

venture  to  traverse  the  wild,  beset  with  Indians,  and 
incur  the  various  dangers  of  a  solitary  journey  of 
one  hundred  and  thirty  miles,  the  distance  which  still 
intervened,  between  the  travellers  and  the  end  of 
their  journey!  .Mr.  William  Cocke,  observing  the 
anxiety  of  his  companions,  generously  volunteered  to 
undertake  the  perilous  mi--i<>n,  and  the  oiler  was  too 
gratifying  U)  be  refused.  The  day  was  dark  and  rainy, 
gloominess  of  the  weather  depressed  the  spirit-  of 
the  party,  and  the  parting  of  -Mr.  Cocke  and  his 
friends  was  marked  by  inauspicious  forebodings.  He 
was  "  fixed  off,"  to  use  again  the  language  of  one  of 
the  party,  "with  a  good  Queen  Anne's  musket,  plenty 
of  ammunition,  a  Tomhock,  a  large  Cuttoe  knife,  a 
Dutch  blanket,  and  no  small  quantity  of  jerked  beef." 
Thus  equipped,  and  mounted  on  a  good  horse,  he 
quitted  his  companions,  and  dashed  into  the  forest. 
We  shall  only  add  that  he  performed  his  mission  in 
safety  and  with  success. 
Colonel    Henderson   reached    Booashoro,  with  his 

party,  a  few  days  afterwards,  and  found  the  people 
their  in  a  state  of  careless  security,  which  evinced 
the  most  perfect  self  confidence.     A  small  fort,  which 


258  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

the  labour  or  two  or  three  days  would  have  rendered 
a  sufficient  protection  against  any  sudden  inroad  of 
the  Indians,  had  been  suffered  to  remain  unfinished 
and  wholly  useless,  and  it  was  not  until  this  little 
colony  had  suffered  severely  from  their  indiscretion, 
that  Fort  Boonsboro  was  placed  in  a  defensible  con- 
dition. 

"  We  are  now  seated,"  says  Colonel  Henderson,  in 
one  of  his  letters,  "  at  the  mouth  of  Otter  Creek,  on 
the  Kentucky,  about  150  miles  from  the  Ohio.  To 
the  west,  about  50  miles  from  us,  are  two  settlements, 
within  six  or  seven  miles  of  each  other.  There  were 
some  time  ago  about  a  hundred  persons  at  the  two 
places,  though  now  perhaps  there  are  not  more  than 
sixty  or  seventy,  as  many  of  them  are  gone  up  the 
Ohio  for  their  families,  &c,  and  some  have  returned 
by  the  way  we  came,  to  Virginia  and  elsewhere. 
These  men  in  the  course  of  hunting  provisions,  ex- 
ploring lands,  &c,  are  some  of  them  constantly  out, 
and  scour  the  woods  from  the  banks  of  the  river,  near 
forty  or  fifty  miles  southward.  On  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river,  and  north  from  us  about  40  miles,  is  a 
settlement  on  the  crown  lands  of  about  nineteen  per- 
sons, and  lower  down  towards  the  Ohio,  on  the  same 
side,  there  are  some  other  settlers  ; — how  many,  or  at 
what  place,  I  can't  exactly  learn."  "  Colonel  Harrod, 
who  governs  the  two  first  mentioned  settlements, — 
and  is  a  very  good  man,  Colonel  Floyd,  the  surveyor 
and  myself,  are  under  solemn  engagements  to  commu- 
nicate with  the  utmost  despatch,  every  piece  of  in- 
telligence, respecting  danger,  or  sign  of  Indians,  to 
each  other.     In  case  of  invasion  of  either,  both  the 


IE!  n  in  I  -I    i  mi:  U  i  -i  ■ 

r  parties  are  instantly  to  march,  and  relieve  the 
distressed  if  possible.  Add  to  this,  that  our  country 
i-  m  fertile,  the  growth  of  grass  and  herbage  bo  ten- 
der  and  luxuriant,  thai  n  is  almost  impossible  for  man 
or  dog  to  travel,  without  leafing  such  a  Bign,  that  you 
might  gallop  a  horse  on  the  trail.  It  is  impossible 
for  any  number  of  persons  t<i  pass  through  the  woods 
without  being  tracked,  and  of  course  discovered  if 
Indians,  for  our  hunters  all  go  on  horseback,  ami 
could  not  be  deceived,  if  thej  were  to  come  on  the 
trace  of  footmen*  Prom  these  circumstances  1  think 
myself  secure  against  an)  formidable  attack,  v\r." 
Among  the  original  letters  in  our  possession,  is  one 
i  Colonel  John  William-,  dated  at  Boonsboro,  '-'7th 
l>  cember  177  ~>.  from  which  we  extract  the  following 
incident  M  Last  Saturday,  in  the  afternoon,  Colonel 
CampbeH,  with  two  lads,  went  over  the  river,  where 
they  parted,  and  went  different  ways  over  the  lull. 
Al»»ut  300  yards  from  the  fort.  Colonel  Campbell  was 
fired  «»u  by  a  couple  of  Indians,  who  missed  him. 
The  gun  was  heard,  the  ahum  given,  and  we  got 
him  safe  to  the  fort.  The  two  lads  not  returning 
that    night,    and  having    no    guns    with   them,  we    had 

doubtful  apprehensions,  and  not  hearing  any  thing  of 
them  until  Monday,  we  despatched  a  party  of  men  to 
see  if  they  could  make  any  discovery, — 18  we  had 
done  on  Saturday  after  Campbell  returned.  They  found 
one  killed  and  scalped  about  three  mile-  from  town, 
the  other  we  have  yet  heard  nothing  of,  hnt  suppose 
lie  ha-  shared  the  same  fate.  \\  <•  hail  at  that  time  a 
i  or  fifteen  men  over  the  river,  hunting  in  separate 
parties,  though  thej  have  since  all  returned  except 


260      ■  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

two.  Whether  they  have  been  unsuccessful  in  their 
hunt,  or  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  is 
doubtful — the  latter  is  apprehended.  We  yesterday 
despatched  a  party  of  twenty  men  under  the  command 
of  Jesse  Benton  to  scour  the  woods,  and  discover  if 
possible  whether  they  are  satisfied  with  what  they 
have  done,  or  whether  they  are  lurking  about  to  do 
more  mischief  before  they  go.  So  far,  this  is  a  bad 
story,  but  hear  the  circumstances,  and  it  will  appear 
less  unfavourable.  Last  October,  at  the  treaty  at 
Pittsburg,  Cornstalk,  king  of  the  Shawnees,  said  that 
before  application  from  the  congress  for  a  treaty,  five 
or  six  of  his  men  had  set  out  for  Kentucky,  and  he 
was  apprehensive  might  do  some  damage,  and  that  it 
was  out  of  his  power  to  apprise  them  of  the  terms  of 
the  treaty,  as  he  did  not  know  where  to  send  a  mes- 
senger to  them  ;  but  that  he  would  stop  them  for  the 
future,  and  if  any  of  his  men  got  killed  on  that  ex- 
pedition it  should  give  no  umbrage.  There  was  about 
that  number  of  Indians  seen  near  the  war  path  about 
fifteen  miles  east  of  this  place,  two  or  three  days  be- 
fore the  mischief  was  done,  all  which  we  knew  nothing 
of  until  since,  &c." 

While  the  Transylvania  company  was  employed  in 
the  fruitless  attempt  to  establish  a  proprietary  govern- 
ment in  Kentucky,  a  number  of  individuals  were  en- 
gaged, either  singly  or  in  companies,  in  exploring  the 
same  territory,  as  well  as  the  adjacent  lands  north  of 
the  Kentucky  river,  and  in  settling  such  spots  as  they 
chose  to  occupy,  without  any  reference  to  the  claim 
of  Henderson  and  his  partners.  Monopolies  are 
never  popular,  and   in  our  country   none  are  less  ac- 


ncm  01   tnwM  261 

table  than  those  which  refer  to  real  estate.  Having 
new  been  accustomed  t<»  tin*  exists  nee  among  na  of 
■  privileged  class,  we  do  not  readily  submil  to  any 
measnre,  the  tendency  of  which  is  to  confer  exclusive 
advantages  upon  a  few  individuals.  Our  sympathies 
aiv  with  tin-  majority,  and  our  judgments  predisposed 
in  favour  of  that  which  confers  the  greatest  benefit  on 
the  largest  Dumber  <>t*  citizens.  Our  notions  with 
gard  to  land  are  perhaps  peculiar  to  our  country  ;  l>ut 
they  are  natural  and  obviously  just  The  opinion  is 
as  "1<1  as  the  states,  that  the  soil  is  common  property 
held  for  the  public  good,  and  that  individuals  should 
oot  be  permitted  to  appropriate  t<»  themselves  mo* 
than  they  can  use;  with  the  exception  only  in  favour 
of  those,  who  accumulate  large  landed  estates  by 
;1  industry,  or  purchase  them  in  good  faith, 
for  valuable  considerations.  A  grant  therefore  of 
enormous  magnitude,  either  by  the  aborigines  or  the 
government,  to  s  few  gentlemen,  for  s  consideration 
which,  though  technically  valuable,  was  in  feci  incon- 
siderable, could  not  be  otherwise  than  odious. 

The  Indian  title  has  Dover  hen  clearly  defined,  nor 
held  in  much  esteem.  Not  having  themselves  verj 
char  ideas  of  property,  the  savages  could  hardly 
impress  others  with  distinct  notion-  of  the  rights 
which  they  held  by  a  tenure  so  vagi* — whi<  h  they 
bartered  awa^  with  careless  prodigality,  and  claimed 
to  resume  upon  the  slightest  pretext*  Among  them 
the  -oil  had  never  been  reduced  to  individual  property  ; 
their  was  no  title  l»\  allodium,  <>r  simple  fee,  and 
nothing  that  could  he  transferred  to  individuals*  Their 

right  was  that  of  sovereignty,  their  possession  that  of 


262 


SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 


the  whole  tribe,  and  the  only  cession  they  could  make 
was  such  as  bv  common  usage  is  allowable  alone  be- 
tween  sovereigns,  or  established  governments.  Such 
was  the  decision  of  Virginia  at  first,  and  of  congress 
afterwards,  upon  the  purchase  of  Henderson  and  com- 
pany ;  and  such  seems  to  have  been  the  common  sense 
opinion  formed  by  the  adventurers  who  settled  within 
the  boundaries  claimed  by  those  gentlemen,  in  disre- 
gard of  the  treaty  of  the  latter  with  the  Cherokees. 

Nor  was  the  time  propitious  to  the  design  of  those 
enterprising  individuals.  The  revolutionary  war  had 
commenced,  and  with  it  the  doubt  and  misrule  in- 
cident to  such  a  crisis.  The  adventurer  to  the  wilds 
of  Kentucky  must  have  possessed  a  prophetic  spirit, 
as  well  as  a  more  than  ordinary  knowledge,  political 
and  legal,  to  have  been  able  to  decide  between  the 
proprietary  rights  of  the  Cherokees,  and  the  six 
nations,  the  Transylvania  company,  and  the  state  of 
Virginia,  the  congress,  and  the  crown  of  Great 
Britain ;  and  to  select  from  so  great  a  number,  the 
lord  paramount  under  whom  it  would  be  most  safe  to 
hold.  The  obvious  consequence  was,  that  the  Vir- 
ginians who  emigrated  took  out  titles  under  their  own 
state,  the  North  Carolinians  who  came  at  the  invita- 
tion of  Henderson  and  company  purchased  from 
them,  while  a  large  class  took  possession  of  such 
tracts  as  suited  them,  determined  to  hold  them  against 
all  adverse  claimants,  and  to  perfect  their  titles  under 
the  authority  which  should  ultimately  prove  success- 
ful. 

This  then  was  the  first  of  the  numerous  party  divi- 
sions, by  which  the  peace  of  Kentucky  has  been  dis- 


sKK.n  iu:s  oi    i  ii,    w  i  - 1 . 

turbed,  and  ber  proeperit)  impeded  \  and  the  early 
introduction  of  factional  discussions  ma)  !>«•  regarded 
M  baring  been  not  a  little  ominous  of  the  future  his- 
tor)  of  the  state.  AJthough  little  baa  been  published 
in  reference  to  those  earl)  differences,  are  find,  from 
the  documents  in  our  possession,  that  there  was  in  tact 
much  angf)  controversy,  between  the  parties  u lio  re- 
spectively admitted  «»i  domed  tin'  ralidit)  of  the  i 
siun  to  Henderson  ami  company,  and  we  believe  that 
the  germ  of  much  subsequent  dissension  was  un- 
happily planted  at  thai  time,  lint  it  is  gratifying  t<» 
ohm  nre,  that  however  they  might  <l if i«  r  on  that  sub- 
ject, they  were  always  firmly  united  in  the  bond  of 
pat  not  i -i n,  and  acted  with  uniform  rigour  and  harmony 
in  repelling  the  inroads  of  the  savages,  and  m  resist- 
ing  the  tyrann)  of  Great  Britain.  The  best  intei 
<it  Kentuckj  have  been  continual])  jeoparded  l»\  her 
intestine  quarrels,  hut  she  lias  never  for  a  moment 
swerved  from  her  fidelity  to  the  I  oion,  of  which  she 
I-  of  the  brightest  ornaments.  The  foundations 
of  national,  as  well  as  of  individual  character,  are 
earl)  laid;  and  in  the  first  settlement  of  all  our 
American  -tates,  we  find  some  indications  of  the  cha- 
racter by  which  they  have  become  distinguished.  In 
the  itate  of  Kentucky  ,  the  evidences  of  this  truth  stand 
out  in  hold  relief,  in  the  original  and  strong!)  marked 
character  of  the  inhabitants,  among  whom  the  daring, 
th<-  hardihood,  and  the  generosity  of  the  pioneer,  with 
the  independence  . ,f  thought  peculiar  to  the  revolu- 
tionary period  at  which  their  institutions  began  to  be 
planted,  remain  conspicuouslj  impressed  upon  the 
whole  mass  of  the  native  population* 


264  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 


CHAPTER  III. 

A  proprietary  government  established — First  meeting  of  a  con- 
vention of  delegates — Their  proceedings. 

The  proprietors  of  Transylvania,  as  they  supposed 
themselves  to  be,  having  led  a  gallant  band  of  adven- 
turers to  the  vast  but  blooming  desert  which  they  had 
purchased,  and  erected  a  few  forts,  at  the  several 
points  where  settlements  were  intended  to  be  formed, 
proceeded  at  once  to  the  formation  of  a  colonial 
government,  as  well  for  the  purpose  of  asserting  thus 
early  their  rights  of  propriety  and  sovereignty,  as  for 
the  establishment  of  social  and  civil  order.  As  this 
is  a  curious  and  important  event  in  the  history  of 
Kentucky,  and  as  it  cannot  be  related  in  more  suitable 
language  than  that  of  the  persons  engaged  in  it,  we 
shall  transcribe  the  record,  from  the  original  papers 
in  our  possession.     It  is  in  the  following  words  : 

"  A  Journal  of  the  proceedings  of  the  house  of 
delegates  or  representatives  of  the  colony  of  Tran- 
sylvania, begun  on  Wednesday  the  23rd  of  May  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  Christ,  1775,  and  in  the  fifteenth  year 
of  the  reign  of  his  majesty,  king  of  Great  Britain. 

The  proprietors  of  said  colony  having  called  and 
required  an  election  of  delegates  or  representatives  to 
be  made  for  the  purpose  of  legislation,  or  making  and 
ordainino-  laws  and  regulations  for  the  future  conduct 
of  the  inhabitants  thereof,  that  is  to  say,  for  the  town 


9KET4  in  -  Of  Tin:  wi>t.  265 

of  Roonesboro  six  members,  for  Harrodsbnrgh  four, 
for  the  Boiling  Spring  settlement  four,  for  the  town  of 
St.  Asaph  four,  and  appointed  their  meeting  for  the 
purpose  aforesaid,  on  the  aforesaid  23rd  of  May,  Umo 
Dom.  1776,  and  : 

It  being  certified  to  us  here  this  day  by  the  Secre- 
tary,* that  the  following  persons  were  returned  as 
duly  elected  for  the  several  towns  and  settlements,  to 
wit  : 

For  Boonesboro — Squire  Boone,  Daniel  Boone,  Wil- 
liam Cocke,  Samuel  Henderson,  William  Moore,  and 
Richard  Calloway. 

For  Harrodsburgh — Thomas  Slaughter,  John  Ly  the, 
Valentine  Harmon,  and  James  Douglass. 

For  Boiling  Spring  settlement — James  Harrod,  Na- 
than Hammond,  Isaac  and  Azariah  Davis, 

For  the  town  of  St.  Asaph — John  Todd,  Alexander 
Spotswood  Dandridge,  John  Floyd,  and  Samuel  Wood  ; 

Present — Squire  Roone,  Daniel  Boone,  &c,"  (re- 
peating all  the  above  names,)  who  took  their  seat**  at 
convention : 

The  house  unanimously  chose  Colonel  Thomas 
Slaughter  chairman,  and  Matthew  Jewett  clerk  ;  and 
after  divine  service  was  performed  by  the  Rev.  John 
Lythe,  the  house  waited  on  the  proprietors,  and  ac- 
quainted them  that  they  had  chosen  Mr.  Thomas 
Slaughter  chairman,  and  Matthew  Jewett  clerk,  of 
which  they  approved  ;  and  Colonel  Richard  Henderson 
in  behalf  of  himself,  and  the  rest  of  the  proprietors, 

*  An  officer  appointed  by  the  proprietors,  corresponding  with 
a  secretary  of  state. 
vol.  i — 23 


266  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

opened  the  convention  with  a  speech,  a  copy  of  which? 
to  prevent  mistakes,  the  chairman  procured. 

Ordered,  the  same  speech  be  read — Read  the  same 
which  is  as  follows  : 

[We  omit  the  speech,  the  answer  of  the  convention, 
and  the  replication  of  Colonel  Henderson,  which  are 
too  long  to  be  inserted  in  this  place.] 

On  motion  made,  ordered,  that  Mr.  Todd  have 
leave  to  bring  in  a  bill  for  the  establishment  of  courts 
of  judicature,  and  regulating  the  practice  therein ; 
ordered,  that  Mr.  Todd,  Mr.  Dandridge,  Mr.  Calloway, 
and  Mr.  Henderson,  do  bring  in  a  bill  for  that  purpose. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Douglass,  leave  is  given  to  bring 
in  a  bill  for  regulating  a  militia ;  ordered,  that  Mr. 
Floyd,  Mr.  Harrod,  Mr.  Cocke,  Mr.  Douglass,  and 
Mr.  Hite,  be  a  committee  for  that  purpose. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Daniel  Boone,  leave  is  given  to 
bring  in  a  bill  for  preserving  game,  &c. ;  ordered,  that 
Mr.  Boone,  Mr.  Davis,  Mr.  Harmon,  Mr.  Hammond, 
and  Mr.  Moore,  be  a  committee  for  that  purpose. 

The  bill  for  establishing  courts  of  judicature,  and 
regulating  the  practice  therein,  brought  in  by  the 
committee,  and  read  by  Mr.  Todd — passed  the  first 
time — ordered  to  be  referred  for  a  second  reading. 

The  bill  for  establishing  and  regulating  a  militia, 
brought  in  by  the  committee,  read  by  Mr.  Floyd — 
ordered  to  be  read  by  the  clerk — passed  the  first  time 
— ordered  to  be  referred  for  a  second  reading. 

The  bill  for  preserving  game,  brought  in  by  the 
committee,  ordered  to  be  read  by  the  clerk — read, 
and  passed  the  first  time — ordered  to  be  referred  for 
a  second  reading. 


-ki  n  in  -  of  tin:  ui>t. 

Ordered,  that  the  convention  be  adjourned  until  to- 
morrow, six  o'clock. 

•Jiiih  May.     .Met  according  to  adjournment. 

Mr.  Robert  Mc  Afec  appoints  nt  at  arms* 

Ordered,  that  the  sergeant  at  arms  bring  John 
Guess  before  this  convt intion,  to  answer,  for  an  insult 
offered  Colonel  Richard  Calloway. 

The  bill  for  regulating  a  militia,  read  the  second 
time,  and  ordered  to  be  engrossed. 

The  bill  for  establishing  courts  of  judicature,  and 
regulating  the  practice  therein,  read  a  second  time — 
ordered  to  be  recommitted,  and  that  3Ir.  Dandridge, 
Mr.  Todd,  Mr.  Henderson,  and  Mr.  Calloway,  be  a 
committee  to  take  it  into  consideration. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Todd,  leave  is  given  to  bring  in 
an  attachment  bill — ordered,  that  Mr.  Todd,  Mr.  Dan- 
dridge, and  Mr.  Douglass,  be  a  committee  for  that 
purpose. 

The  bill  for  establishing  writs  of  attachment,  read 
by  the  clerk,  and  passed  the  first  time — ordered  to  be 
referred  for  a  second  reading. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Dandridge,  leave  is  given  to  bring 
in  a  bill  to  ascertain  clerks'  and  sheriffs'  fees. 

The  said  bill  was  read,  and  passed  the  first  time — 
ordered  to  be  referred  for  the  second  reading. 

On  motion  made  by  Mr.  Todd,  ordered,  that  Mr. 
Todd,  Mr.  Lythe,  Mr.  Douglass,  and  Mr.  Hite,  be  a 
committee  to  draw  up  a  compact  between  the  proprie- 
tors and  the  people  of  this  colony. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Lythe,  leave  is  given  to  bring  in 
a  bill  to  prevent  profane  swearing  and  Sabbath  break- 
ing— The  same  read  by  the  clerk,  ordered,  that  it  be 


268  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

recommitted,  and  that  Mr.  Lythe,  Mr.  Todd,  and  Mr. 
Harrod,  be  a  committee  to  make  amendments. 

Mr.  Guess  was  brought  before  the  convention,  and 
reprimanded  by  the  chairman. 

Ordered,  that  Mr.  Todd  and  Mr.  Harrod  wait  on 
the  proprietors,  to  know  what  name  for  this  colony 
would  be  agreeable.  Mr.  Todd  and  Mr.  Harrod  re- 
ported, that  it  was  their  pleasure  that  it  should  be 
called  Transylvania. 

The  bill  for  ascertaining  clerks'  and  sheriffs'  fees, 
read  a  second  time,  passed — and  ordered  to  be  en- 
grossed. 

The  attachment  bill  read  a  second  time,  and  ordered 
to  be  engrossed. 

A  bill  for  preserving  game,  read  the  second  time, 
and  passed — ordered  to  be  recommitted,  and  that  Mr. 
Todd,  Mr.  Boone,  and  Mr.  Harrod,  be  a  committee  to 
take  it  into  consideration. 

The  militia  bill  read  a  third  time,  and  passed. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Todd,  leave  is  given  to  bring  in 
a  bill  for  the  punishment  of  criminals — ordered,  that 
Mr.  Todd,  Mr.  Dandridge,  and  Mr.  Lythe,  be  a  com- 
mittee for  that  purpose. 

The  bill  for  establishing  courts  of  judicature,  and 
regulating  the  practice  therein,  read  a  second  time, 
and  ordered  to  be  engrossed. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Boone,  leave  is  given  to  bring  in 
a  bill  for  improving  the  breed  of  horses.  Ordered, 
that  Mr.  Boone,  Mr.  Davis,  and  Mr.  Hammond,  bring 
in  a  bill  for  that  purpose. 

The  bill  for  ascertaining  clerks'  and  sheriffs'  fees, 
read  a  third  time,  and  passed* 


-ki  n  in M  OF  Tin:  Ifl  -  269 

The  bill  for  establishing  writs  of  attachment,  read 
a  third  tunc  and  passed* 

On  motion,  ordered,  thai  Mr.  Todd  have  leave  to 
absent  himself  from  this  house. 

The  bill  foi  the  punishment  of  criminals,  brought  in 
(>v  the  committee,  read  by  the  clerk,  passed  the  i. 
time,  and  ordered  to  1>«^  read  a  second  lime. 

The  bill  for  establishing  courts  of  judicature,  and 
regulating  the  practice  therein,  read  the  fhird  time 
with  amendments,  and  passed. 

The  bill  for  improving  the  breed  of  horses,  brought 
m  by  Capt.  Boone,  read  the  first  time,  passed,  and  or- 
dered to  be  for  consideration,  dec 

Ordered,  that  the  convention  adjourn  until  to-morrow, 
-i\  o'clock. 

Met  according  k)  adjournment. 
The  bill  to  prevent  profane  swearing  and  Sabbath- 
breaking,  read   the  second   time,  with   amendments ; 
ordered  to  be  engrossed. 

The  bill  for  the  punishment  of  criminals,  brought  in 
and  read,  passed  the  second  time ;  ordered  to  be  en- 
grossed. 

The  bill  for  the  improvement  of  the  breed  of  horses 
was  read  a  second  time,  and  ordered  to  be  engrossed. 
Ordered,  that  Mr.  Harrod,  Mr.  Boone,  and  Mr. 
Cocke,  wait  on  the  proprietors,  and  beg  they  will  not 
indulge  any  person  whatever  in  granting  them  lands 
on  the  present  terms,  unless  they  comply  with  the 
former  proposals  of  settling  the  country,  Ovc. 

On  motion  of  Squire  Boone,  leave  is  given  to  bring 
in  a  bill  to  preserve  the  range;  ordered,  that  he  have 
leave  to  bring  in  a  bill  for  that  purpofl 

29* 


270  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

The  following  message  was  received  from  the  pro- 
prietors, to  wit : 

To  give  every  possible  satisfaction  to  the  good  peo- 
ple, your  constituents,  we  desire  to  exhibit  our  title 
deed  from  the  aborigines  and  first  owners  of  the  soil 
in  Transylvania,  and  hope  you  will  cause  an  entry  to 
be  made  of  the  exhibition  in  your  journals,  including 
the  corners  and  abutments  of  the  lands  or  country 
contained  therein,  so  that  the  boundaries  of  our  colony 
may  be  known  and  kept  on  record. 

Richard  Henderson. 

Transylvania,  27th  May,  1775. 

Ordered,  that  Mr.  Todd,  Mr.  Douglass,  and  Mr. 
Hite,  inform  the  proprietors  that  their  request  will  be 
complied  with ;  in  consequence  of  which  Colonel  Hen- 
derson personally  attended  the  convention  with  Mr. 
John  Farrow,  attorney  in  fact  for  the  head  warriors 
or  chiefs  of  the  Cherokee  Indians,  who,  in  presence 
of  the  convention,  made  livery  and  seisin  of  all  the 
lands  in  a  deed  or  feofment  then  produced,  bearing 
date  the  7th  day  of  March  last,  1775.  [We  omit  the 
boundaries  which  are  here  set  forth  on  the  record, 
having  already  given  them  to  our  readers  in  another 
place.] 

A  bill  for  preserving  the  range,  brought  in  by  the 
committee  and  read,  passed  the  first  time ;  ordered  to 
be  laid  by  for  second  consideration. 

The  bill  to  prevent  profane  swearing  and  Sabbath- 
breaking,  read  the  third  time,  and  passed. 

Ordered,  that  Mr.  Calloway  and  Mr.  Cocke  wait  on 


-Kr.T<  HES    OF    THE    W  i  ~~1 

the  proprietors  with  the  laws  that  have  passed,  for 
their  perusal  and  approbation. 

The  committee,  appointed  to  draw  up  the  compact 
between  the  proprietors  and  the  people,  brought  in  and 
read  it,  as  follows,  viz: 

Win  reas,it  is  highly  necessary,  for  the  peace  of  the 
proprietors  and  the  security  of  the  people  of  this 
colony,  that  the  powers  of  the  one  and  the  liberties  of 
the  other  be  ascertained;  We,  Richard  Henderson, 
Nathaniel  Hart,  and  J.  Luttrel,  on  behalf  of  ourselves, 
as  well  as  the  other  proprietors  of  the  colony  of  Tran- 
sylvania, of  the  one  part — and  the  representatives  of 
the  people  of  said  colony,  in  convention  assembled,  of 
the  other  part — do  most  solemnly  enter  into  the  fol- 
lowing contract  or  agreement,  to  wit  : 

1.  That  the  election  of  delegates  in  this  colony  be 
annual. 

2.  That  the  convention  may  adjourn,  and  meet  again 
on  their  own  adjournment ;  Provided,  that  in  cases  of 
great  emergency,  the  proprietors  may  call  together 
the  delegates  before  the  time  adjourned  to ;  and,  if  a 
majority  do  not  attend,  they  may  dissolve  them  and 
call  a  new  one. 

3.  That,  to  prevent  dissention  and  delay  of  busin  g  . 
one  proprietor  shall  act  for  the  whole,  or  some  one 
delegated  by  them  for  that  purpose,  who  shall  always 

ride  in  the  colony. 

4.  That  there  be  perfect  religious  freedom  and  gene- 
ral toleration;  Provided,  that  the  propagators  of  any 
doctrine  or  tenets,  evidently  tending  to  the  subversion 
of  our  laws,  shall,  for  such  conduct,  be  amenable  to. 
and  punished  by,  the  civil  court-. 


272  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

5.  That  the  judges  of  the  superior  or  supreme 
courts  be  appointed  by  the  proprietors,  but  be  sup- 
ported by  the  people,  and  to  them  be  answerable  for 
their  malconduct. 

6.  That  the  quit-rents  never  exceed  two  shillings 
sterling  per  hundred  acres. 

7.  That  the  proprietors  appoint  a  sheriff,  who  shall 
be  one  of  three  persons  recommended  by  the  court. 

8.  That  the  judges  of  the  superior  courts  have, 
without  fee  or  reward,  the  appointment  of  the  clerks 
of  this  colony. 

9.  That  the  judges  of  the  inferior  courts  be  recom- 
mended by  the  people,  and  approved  by  the  proprie- 
tors, and  by  them  commissioned. 

10.  That  all  other  civil  and  military  officers  be 
within  the  appointment  of  the  proprietors. 

11.  That  the  office  of  surveyor-general  belong  to 
no  person  interested,  or  a  partner  in  this  purchase. 

12.  That  the  legislative  authority,  after  the  strength 
and  maturity  of  the  colony  will  permit,  consist  of  three 
branches,  to  wit :  the  delegates  or  representatives 
chosen  by  the  people  ;  a  council,  not  exceeding  twelve 
men,  possessed  of  landed  estate,  who  reside  in  the 
colony,  and  the  proprietors. 

13.  That  nothing  with  respect  to  the  number  of 
delegates  from  any  town  or  settlement  shall  hereafter 
be  drawn  into  precedent,  but  that  the  number  of  repre- 
sentatives shall  be  ascertained  by  law,  when  the  state 
of  the  colony  will  admit  of  amendment. 

14.  That  the  land  office  be  always  open. 

15.  That  commissions,  without  profit,  be  granted 
without  fee. 


-ki  1 1  in:-   <>i   mi:    W  i  - 1  •  "-' '  ■ 

16.  That  the  fees  and  salaries  of  -ill  officers  ap- 
pointed  bj  the  proprietors,  be  settled  and  regulated 
by  the  laws  of  the  country  . 

17.  That  tli--  convention  have  the  sole  power  of 
raising  and  appropriating  all  public  moneys,  and  elect- 
ing their  treasun  r. 

18.  That,  for  a  shorl  time,  till  the  state  of  the 
colony  will  permit  to  ni  some  place  of  lidding  the 
convention  which  shall  be  permanent,  the  place  of 
meeting  shall  l>  1  upon  1"  twe<  d  the  proprietors 
and  the  convention. 

To  the  faithful,  and  religious,  and  perpetual  observ- 
ance of  all  and  every  of  the  above  articles,  the  said 
proprietors,  on  behalf  of  themselves  as  well  as  those 
absent,  and  the  chairman  of  the  convention  on  behalf 
of  them  and  their  constituents,  have  ^ereunto  inter- 
changeably set  their  hands  and  affixed  their  seals,  the 
twenty-seventh  day  of  -May,  one  thousand  seven  hun- 
dred and  seventy-six. 

ELichajld  Henderson.     [Sea?.] 
\  \  i  n  \  mi  l  Hart.  [Seal.] 

J.  Luttbel.  [Seal] 

T.  Slaughter,  Chair'n.  [Seal] 

A  bill  for  improving  the  breed  of  horses,  read  the 
third  time  and  passed. 
The  hill  f«>r  the  punishment  of  criminals,  read  the 

third  time  and  passed. 

The  hill  to  preserve  the  range,  read  the  second  time, 
and  ordered  t<»  !>••  engrossed. 

Ordered  thai  Mr.  Lythe  wait  on  Colonel  Henderson 
and  the  rest  of  the  proprietors,  with  the  hill  for  esta- 


274  SKETCHES    OE    THE    WEST. 

blishing  courts  of  justice  and  regulating  the  practice 
therein. 

The  bill  to  preserve  the  range  read  the  third  time 
and  passed. 

Ordered,  that  Colonel  Calloway  wait  on  the  propri- 
etors with  the  bill  for  preserving  the  range. 

Ordered,  that  a  fair  copy  of  the  several  bills,  passed 
into  laws,  be  transmitted  to  every  settlement  in  this 
colony  that  is  represented. 

Ordered,  that  the  delegates  of  Boonesboro  be  a 
committee  to  see  that  all  the  bills  that  are  passed  be 
transcribed,  in  a  fair  hand,  into  a  book  for  that  purpose. 

Ordered,  that  the  proprietors  be  waited  on  by  the 
chairman,  acquainting  them  that  all  the  bills  are  ready 
for  signing. 

The  following  bills  this  day  passed  and  signed  by 
the  proprietors,  on  behalf  of  themselves  and  their  part- 
ners, and  the  chairman  of  the  convention,  on  behalf  of 
\  mself  and  the  other  delegates  : 

1.  An  act  for  establishing  courts  of  jurisdiction  and 
regulating  the  practice  therein. 

2.  An  act  for  regulating  a  militia. 

3.  An  act  for  the  punishment  of  criminals. 

4.  An  act  to  prevent  profane  swearing,  and  Sabbath 
breaking. 

5.  An  act  for  writs  of  attachment. 

6.  An  act  for  ascertaining  clerks'  and  sheriffs'  fees. 

7.  An  act  to  preserve  the  range. 

8.  An  act  for  improving  the  breed  of  horses. 

9.  An  act  for  preserving  game. 

All  the  above  mentioned  acts  were  signed  by  the 
chairman  and  proprietors,  except  the  act  for  ascertain- 


IXI  i  ■  ii  I  mi:   H  i 

in"  clerks'  and  sherinV  fees,  which  was  omitted  by  the 

clerk-  not  giving  it  in  with  the  P  St 

Ordered,  thai  a(  the  next  m  of  delegates,  if 

any  member  be  absent  and  doth  not  attend,  that  the 
>le  choose  one  to  serve  in  the  room  of  such  absent 
member. 

Ordered,  that  the  convention  be  adjourned  until  the 
first  Thursday  in   September  next,  then  t<»  meet  at 
lesboro. 

M  LTTHEW  .1  i:\vitt,  Clerk. 

We  present  thii  as  ;i  creditable  specimen  of  the  in- 
telligence and  disposition  of  the  pioneers;  affording  as 
it  does,  the  most  ample  testimony,  that  they  were  not 
a  hand  of  mere  lawless  adventurers,  unable  to  appre- 
ciate the  advantages  of  social  order,  and  eager  to 
i  scape  the  restraints  of  civil  subordination.  We  see 
here  the  same  hardy  men,  who  with  infinite  peril  and 
fatigue  had  conquered  for  themselves  a  resting  place 
in  the  wilderness,  ass  mbling  in  a  rude  forest  fortresf 
to  commence  the  structure  of  their  social  compact. 
With  no  precedent-  before  them, with  neither  laws  nor 
lawyers,  instructed  only  by  their  own  perceptions  of 
ri"-ht  and  wrong,  and  their  recollections  of  the  laws 
under  which  they  had  lived,  they  enact  a  simple  code 
whose  provisions  evince  a  clear  understanding  of  the 
elementary  principles  of  free  government,  while  its 
brevity  the  confidence  reposed  by  these  brave 

men  in  each  other.  Their  convention  is  organised  in 
the  usual  manner,  and  decently  opened  with  prayer, 
and  three  days  Jpeut   in  the   utmost  harmony  in 

the  discharge  of  the  <!nti''s  of  this  primitive  legisla- 
tion.    It  l-  probable  that  ':  were  not  long, 


276  SKETCHES    OF    THE    WEST. 

nor  the  motions  very  formal,  but  we  apprehend  that 
the  colony  of  Transylvania  was  erected,  its  courts 
established,  its  militia  organised,  and  even  its  game 
protected,  with  as  much  propriety  as  usually  marks  the 
primary  assemblies  of  the  people. 

In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year,  the  proprietors 
determined  to  send  a  delegate  to  congress,  and  accord- 
ingly at  a  meeting  of  those  gentlemen,  held  at  Oxford, 
in  the  county  of  Granville,  North  Carolina,  on  the 
25th  of  September  1775,  Mr.  James  Hogg,  one  of 
their  own  number,  was  appointed  to  represent  them  in 
the  continental  congress.  Mr.  Hogg  repaired  to  Phi- 
ladelphia, but  did  not  claim  a  seat  among  the  patriot 
fathers  of  our  republic,  then  convened  at  that  city,  for 
reasons  which  are  detailed  at  length,  in  a  letter,  which 
we  copy  in  another  place. 

We  omit  a  variety  of  other  interesting  particulars, 
which  throw  a  light  upon  the  transactions  of  this 
period,  preferring  to  make  copious  extracts  from  the 
documents  before  us,  and  to  place  them  in  an  appendix 
where  the  reader  may  see  the  events  described  in  the 
language  of  the  actors. 

The  attempt  to  establish  a  proprietary  government 
received  no  sanction  from  the  state  of  Virginia,  or 
from  congress,  nor  does  it  appear  to  have  been 
heartily  supported  by  any  portion  of  the  people  over 
whom  it  was  proposed  to  be  extended.  To  a  part  of 
the  inhabitants  it  was  decidedly  unacceptable,  and  this 
party  increased  rapidly,  as  the  opinions  of  the  revolu- 
tion became  more  and  more  widely  disseminated. 
The  new  government  never  went  into  operation,  nor 
was  ever  formally  acknowledged  by  the  people ;  and 


>KI    i«   Ill:-  OF  THE  WEST.  277 

the  state  of  Virginia  never  ceased  to  exercise  her 
ri^ht  or  sovereignty,  when  occasions  for  Legislation 
rented.  Colonel  Henderson  and  his  partners,  find- 
ing it  impracticable  to  sustain  themselves  in  the  <\- 
ecutive  station  which  they  bad  assnmed,  and  in  which 
the  settler^  seemed  indisposed  to  >n j >jk>i t  them,  I 
soon  abandoned  the  idea  of  claiming  any  political 
rank,  in    virtue  of  their  purchase,  and  appear   to  have 

employed  themselves  thereafter  in  endeavouring  to 
procure  the  acknowledgment  of  their  title  to  the  land 
as  owner-.  Even  lhi<  however  was  denied  them  by 
the  state  of  Virginia,  whose  politicians,  wisely  for 
ing  the  evil  of  so  gigantic  a  monopoly,  and  the  anti- 
republican  tendency  of  the  great  landed  estates  which 
would  be  established  in  a  few  families  l>y  thi<  pro- 
cedure, promptly  refused  to  sanction  any  of  the  acta 
of  the  proprietors  or  people  of  Transylvania,  or  to 
admit  the  validity  of  any  title  to  the  soil  not  emanat- 
ing from  the  pa  Among  a  number  of  re- 
solutions, and  other  expressions  of  opinion,  on  the 
part  of  Virginia,  we  find  the  following  declaration 
which  briefly  includes  the  result  of  the  whole  discus- 
sion. 

"  In  the  house  of  del  _  '  s,  Wednesday,  the  4th  of 
November^  1778. 

Resnlted — That  all  purchases  of  lands,  made  or  to 
be  made,  of  the  Indian-,  within  the  chartered  bounds 
of  this  commonwealth,  as  described  by  the  constitu- 
tion or  form  of  government,  by  any  private  persons 
not  authorised  by  public  authority,  are  void. 

Resoh&d — That  the  purchases  heretofore  made  bj 
Richard,  Henderson  and  Company,  of  that  tract  of  land 

vol.  i — 'J  1 


278  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

called  Transylvania,  within  this  commonwealth,  of  the 
Cherokee  Indians,  is  void ;  but  as  the  said  Richard 
Henderson  and  Company  have  been  at  very  great  ex- 
pense in  making  the  said  purchase,  and  in  settling  the 
said  lands,  by  which  this  commonwealth  is  likely  to 
receive  great  advantage,  by  increasing  its  inhabitants, 
and  establishing  a  barrier  against  the  Indians,  it  is 
just  and  reasonable  to  allow  the  said  Richard  Hender- 
son and  Company  a  compensation  for  their  trouble  and 
expense." 

Tuesday,  November  17th,  1778,  "  Agreed  to  by  the 
Senate." 

After  endeavouring  for  several  years,  with  great  as- 
siduity, to  procure  a  reversal  of  the  proposition  con- 
tained in  the  first  of  these  resolutions,  and  a  recogni- 
tion of  their  purchase,  they  were  obliged,  however 
reluctantly,  to  abandon  all  hope  of  possessing  this 
noble  domain ;  and  they  now  applied  for  the  remune- 
ration to  which  the  legislature  of  Virginia  had  ac- 
knowledged them  to  be  so  well  entitled.  More  than 
twenty  years  elapsed  before  even  this  was  granted ; 
but  Virginia  finally  granted  to  the  Transylvania  com- 
pany, a  large  tract  of  land  upon  the  waters  of  Green 
river,  and  included  in  the  boundaries  of  the  county  of 
Henderson,  which  was  afterwards  formed. 

Similar  proceedings,  and  a  like  result  took  place  in 
North  Carolina,  in  reference  to  so  much  of  the  pur- 
chase from  the  Cherokees  as  lay  within  the  limits  of 
that  state. 

The  narrative  which  we  have  introduced  forms  but 
an  episode  in  the  history  of  Kentucky.  While  a  few 
enterprising  gentlemen  were  maturing  splendid  schemes 


BKE  l'<  11  1  —   "1     l  II  I     w  ES  1  ■ 


for  the  aggrandisement  of  their  posterity,  the  sti 
of  population  rolled  on  withoul  interruption*  The 
settlers  seem  to  bare  placed  little  confidence  in  the 
titl* -  ef  Henderson  and  his  associates,  and  we  Bcarcely 
find  it  allnded  to  in  the  earlj  records  or  traditionary 
history  of  this  region.  It  will  appear,  however,  upon 
rring  to  some  of  the  papers  which  we  append  to 
\\m<  volume,  that  the  services  of  those  gentlemen  were 
important  Henderson,  Williams,  Luttrel,  and  Hart. 
were  really  the  pioneer*,  who  opened  the  road  to  the 
fertile  shores  of  the  Kentucky  aver,  and  erected  the 
first  fortress  in  that  beautiful  though  perilous  wild. 
Boon*'  was  their  agent — bold,  faithful,  deserving — 
yet  a  subordinate  actor  under  other  mm — the  chief  of 
their  hunters,  and  the  leader  perhaps  of  the  military 
arm  of  their  expedition.  But  his  talents  were  of  the 
useful  kind,  his  character  was  popular,  and  his 
achievements  gained  for  him  the  confidence  of  the 
people;  and  in  all  that  relates  to  the  perils  of  the 
wilderness,  ami  the  stirring  events  of  the  border  wars, 
Boone  was  a  chieftain  of  high  repute.  He  was  the 
guide  who  led  the  way  to  the  desert,  and  whose  name 
was  perhaps  best  known,  though  some  of  those  who 
were  associated  with  him  in  the  great  enterprise,  were 
more  intelligent,  and  equally  influential.  Other  ad- 
venturers  followed,  and  settled  around  him,  looking  up 
to  him  as  their  shield  in  danger,  and  at  all  times  as  their 
counsellor  and  guide.  The  savages  continued  to  an- 
nex- them  with  unceasing  hostility;  sometimes  laying 
t«.  the  fort,  frequently  attempting  to  surprise  it, 
and  continually  lurking  about  in  small  parties,  way- 
la\iiiLr  the  butters,  assailing  those  engaged  in  agricul- 


880  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

ture,  and  capturing  the  females  and  children  in  sight 
of  the  fortress.  We  should  exceed  our  limits,  and 
unnecessarily  shock  the  feelings  of  the  reader,  if  we 
should  detail  all  the  achievements  of  Boone,  the  pri- 
vations of  himself  and  his  companions,  and  the  bar- 
barities of  their  unrelenting  toes.  He  continued  to 
sustain  himself  in  the  midst  of  danger,  displacing,  in 
ever}-  emergency,  that  consummate  skill  and  patient 
courage,  which  elevated  him  above  ordinary  men  ; 
and  distinguished  by  a  gentleness  of  manners,  and  a 
benevolence  of  heart  and  action,  which  secured  the 
affections  of  his  friends,  and  won  respect  even  from 
his  ferocious  enemies. 

From  this  time  the  forests  of  Kentucky  besan  to  be 
rapidly  peopled.  The  settlers  came  in  small  parties, 
and  spread  over  the  whole  country,  each  little  colony 
erecting  its  own  fort,  and  appointing  its  own  leader. 
The  Indians  continued  to  harass  them.  The  latter 
were  now  more  than  ever  inflamed  with  rage  and  jea- 
lousy against  the  Americans,  by  the  arts  of  the  Bri- 
tish agents,  who  supplied  them  with  arms  and  ammu- 
nition, bribed  them  to  hostility  by  valuable  presents, 
and  poisoned  their  minds  by  incendiary  speeches.  The 
whole  district  of  Kentucky  exhibited  scenes  of  blood- 
shed. 

We  must  condense  these  events.  The  name  of 
Boone  is  the  most  conspicuous  among  the  pioneers, 
because  he  was  the  earliest  adventurer  to  the  shores  of 
the  Ohio,  and  continued  longest  to  brave  the  perils  of 
the  forest.  But  there  were  others  who  were  superior 
to  him  in  education  and  strength  of  mind,  and  his 


T<  DM    «'F   THE   WEST. 

equ;  -pect-     Boone  was  remarkable 

for  the  perfect  equanih  th  which  he  bore  c 

tria!  alarmed 

nor  despondent.   O  re  allured  to  the  wilderness 

bv  ambition  or  cupidit  f  wealth,  or 

lands,  or  fame :  but         -  enjoyed  th 

of  the  pioneer,  and  to  have  dwelt  in  the  woods  from 
choice.  Others  hunted  down  the  Indians  with  ran- 
corous hatred  :  Boone  on!  led  himself  against 
their  assaults,  and  never  troubled  his  head  about  them 
while  they  let  him  alone.  H  -  _  x>d  humoured, 
social,  and  disposed  to  live  in  quiet ;  love  of  p 
rather  than  fondness  for  war.  made  him  a  dweller  on 
the  frontier  :  and  when  the  restraints  of  society  } 
ed  around  him.  when  the  cavils  of  the  neighbourhood 
became  vexatious,  or  any  other  cause  rendered  his  re- 
sidence disagreeable,  his  simple  remedy  was  to  plunge 
farther  into  the  woods.  H  was  abstemious  in  his 
habits,  and  a  close  observer  of  nature :  and  without 
any  brilliancy  or  much  grasp  of  intellect,  he  had  a 

ifl  deal  of  that  practical  good  sense  which  may  be 

supposed  to  have  existed  in  the  mind   of  a  person  of 

:nperament,  who   thought  much,  spoke  little, 

and  acted  with  deliberation:  i  hole  life  was  a 

series  of  joi.  a  •  danger,  and  vicissitude,  and  whose 

ant  eye  was  constantly  employed  in  watching  the 
appearances  of  nature,  the  habits  of  animals,  the 
changes  of  the  season,  and  the  movements  of  hostile 
men.  These  are  the  characteristics  of  the  backwoods- 
man :  they  wer     lb     _iy  developed  in  all   those  that 


282  SKETCHES  OF  THE  WEST. 

accompanied  or  followed  Boone,  but  in  him  they  were 
less  adulterated,  because  his  mind  was  not  distracted 
by  the  passions  and  cares  that  perplex  other  men. 

In  a  subsequent  chapter,  when  we  come  to  speak  of 
the  character  of  the  western  population,  we  shall 
notice  the  peculiarities  of  this  race,  their  arts,  in- 
dustry, and  mode  of  life. 


END    OF    VOL.    i. 


EXPLANATION  OF  THE  PLATE. 

The  engraving  is  made  from  an  original  plan  of  Booncsboro, 
in  the  band-writing  of  Colonel  Henderson. 

The  fort  was  composed  of  four  lines  of  cabins,  those  at  the 
corners  being  larger  than  the  others,  and  projecting  so  as  to  form 
bastions. 

The  dimensions  of  the  enclosure  are  not  stated  ;  but  if  we 
allow  an  average  of  twenty  feet  for  each  cabin  and  opening,  the 
iength  of  the  fort  must  have  been  about  two  hundred  and  sixty, 
and  the  breadth  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet 


i 


